The World's Greatest Uncle 2: Milo's Story
by Canada Cowboy
Summary: Yoshi and friends celebrate the 10th anniversary of his uncle Brendan's store. But an explosion at the event made them realize something disturbing was happening right in the neighbourhood, and the source may be from Brendan himself.
1. An Explosive Celebration

It's been over a year, but I'm finally back with the sequel to "The World's Greatest Uncle". I just want to tell everyone that it's not a requirement, but a preferred option, to read the prequel before this thing, just to understand what Brendan is like. Please note that he's not the main character from the Pokemon game, but an OC and a Yoshi. And that this takes place between Melee and Brawl, so only limited Smashers will actually show up here.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"There it is, the city of San Francisco." A group of Smashers admired the scene of the Bay City as they prepared to visit their friend. It was told to them by one of their own, the resident dinosaur Smasher Yoshi, that his uncle Brendan was to celebrate the tenth year of his store's opening, and would be holding a large celebration. Brendan was the first person to be given the title "Honorary Smasher" and when he visited the Smashers to receive his award, he invited the Smashers to visit San Francisco later on.

And that's where they found themselves, strolling through the streets of the city and trying to find the right address. The group included Mario the plumber, Link the Hylian hero, Fox McCloud the pilot, Samus Aran the bounty hunter, Kirby the Star Warrior, and Pikachu the electric mouse. These Smashers were lucky enough to have been the first to be notified that they would be involved in the next meeting of their group along with some new people. For them, this was a chance to take a well-deserved break and visit their dinosaur friend, who would be helping his uncle throughout the entire time.

Despite being in San Francisco for the first time, the Smashers enjoyed what the city had to offer, taking in the diverse sights and enjoying the breezes from the bay. Soon enough, they reach the border of Chinatown, where Brendan's store was located. The smells of goods from the Far East floated into their nostrils as they marched down the last street. "This should be it," Mario told everyone, holding a small note in his hand.

Indeed, before them was a plain looking store, with no special decorations or labels. Except for the unit number, the only words on the door were: "Yoshi Store." The plumber stuffed the note back into his pocket and pulled it open, letting the group file in quietly. There were no customers inside, and nobody at the front counter. "Strange," Link muttered, "Brendan doesn't seem to be too concerned about security. Someone could loot the entire place and I doubt he'd notice. Maybe we should keep an eye on things?"

"Well, we wouldn't be able to defend looters anyway. None of us are armed," Fox replied. Indeed, the three people expected to carry weapons had nothing on them today. The intention for coming was strictly relaxation, meaning Link had put his sword, shield, bow and arrows away, while Fox chose to leave his blaster. Samus shed her usual heavy armour and chose to wear a lighter blue suit, something she dubbed the "Zero Suit".

"Wait, I hear something," Pikachu said through the translation device worn around his neck. The electric rodent's large ears angled towards the back of the store, gently twitching as it picked up on the sounds. The Smashers slowly followed the little rodent as he pranced his way into the back, where the storage area was.

The door to the back was left open, and above the noise from the ventilator in the back alley, they heard the voice of a person very familiar to them. "Everything delivered has been stored and locked properly," a high-pitched voice said. Indeed, standing with his back turned to the Smashers was that familiar green dinosaur Yoshi.

"Alright, if everything's there, then just let me sign it off," Brendan answered. Brendan was a genetically mutated Yoshi that grew to resemble a realistic carnivorous dinosaur like a T Rex rather than a regular Yoshi. His colouring was also different, as he had silver skin with two red lines running down each side of his back. Nonetheless, he still had the abilities of regular Yoshis. Being left-handed, Brendan held the clipboard containing the delivery information tightly in his right arm while scribbling on it with a pen in his left. "There we go, all done!" he exclaimed, handing the board back to Yoshi.

Yoshi turned around to head back out only to see his good friends standing before him, letting a smile take over his face. "Hey, you guys made it," he greeted them, tucking the clipboard under his arms as he gave each a quick hug, "I told my uncle you would be coming and he'd better prepare for you, and looks like you caught him off guard."

The Smashers chuckled as they accompanied Yoshi and Brendan to the counter. Brendan took his usual position behind the cash register and pulled out a schedule from a drawer. "This is what my wife and I are planning to have tomorrow," Brendan explained, "to go back to the theme of ten years ago, when I first opened, she wanted to do an East Meets West situation. There'll be guests from both the Chinatown Association and my former baseball teammates and coaches, so we'll want all the help we can get."

The Smashers crowded the counter like a feeding frenzy as they tried to read the messy handwriting on the sheet. From the notes given, they found out that Brendan and Ashley had a lot planned for the day. "Lion dance or race after opening remarks, two lions race down block to reach money pot. Bring money pot back and donate money to orphanage. Give money to orphanage director, and bring guests to Ashley's restaurant…" they read quietly. Knowing Brendan's philanthropic nature, they were not surprised at the donation to the orphanage. It had been a project of his since his store opened, but to do it in such a grand fashion was truly out of the ordinary.

While his friends poured over the details, Yoshi asked his uncle, "What do you want us to do in the meantime? Knowing there's so much around, I'm sure my friends are more than willing to help out, and I'll be here all day as well,"

Brendan smiled. "The main thing you guys need to do is set up the front door tomorrow, so the guests have a place to stand when we have our lion race," he explained, "I just don't want them to pour into the sidewalk and block everyone's paths. Other than that, put up my sign on the top so we can unveil it tomorrow,"

Apparently, the Smashers heard the last remark. "Wait a minute. You finally got yourself a sign? That means by tomorrow, people will actually know this is the Yoshi Store?" Kirby asked as the group faced Brendan eagerly.

Brendan nodded and offered to show the Smashers. Yoshi led the way as they returned to the storage area. Some Smashers joked that it was about time Brendan had a better label for his store. "We were walking around aimlessly trying to find your store," Samus described, "we were expecting a large dinosaur, or maybe a large egg, or even island fruits to be at the front. Instead, all we got was a lousy door number."

Brendan pulled a long board out from the corner. He instructed the Smashers that it would be put up above the door and front windows, and to be unveiled after the entire celebration was over. While the Smashers looked the sign over, Yoshi approached his uncle and asked a personal question. "Do you think you've kind of come full circle? Aunt Ashley did say the store was a renewed life for you, so do you feel by making the largest donation yet to the orphanage, you're doing even more to renew life for all those kids?"

Brendan shrugged. "It's a chance I took, right? When my baseball career ended early, I wanted to do something else. It was once I started the store that I saw how hard the lives of these kids were. It made me realize my childhood was much more fortunate than theirs, even though I was an immigrant. That was when I decided to give back; since people supported me throughout my baseball and storekeeper career, I had to support those in need of help. Not bad after ten years, no?"

Yoshi cocked his head at Brendan, not expecting such an ambiguous answer. He thought Brendan would say something along the lines of being proud of helping out or even wanting to do more. But saying it was a risk he took? What did that possibly mean? Is there something about that orphanage that Uncle Brendan is still unsatisfied with, or maybe even regret when he originally committed to that cause, Yoshi thought.

But unknown to the group of friends, a short, mysterious figure was crouched just around the store, and overheard most of their conversation. Sneaking off behind the store, the person sped through the dark, damp and narrow alley and disappeared into a manhole. The person got all the information needed for the next operation, slated to take place the next morning, at the same time as the Yoshi Store celebration.

* * *

The same mysterious figure snooping around the Yoshi Store had now returned to the sewers. The stench from waste and foul running water were usually enough to make a regular person vomit, but this person had no reaction to it; rather, he strode past the mess like he had done it every day of his life. The dark surroundings were also not an obstacle to his navigation of the area, as he took fast steps down the dark, damp passage, evident by the splashing of the water beneath his feet. Soon enough, his quick pace took him to a small opening at the end. He opened the heavy door with a loud creak, and slipped inside.

The chamber away from the sewers was a totally different world, almost like a paradise compared to the filthy situation outside. There was a living quarters of some sort in there, with stashes of materials littering the area, enough for a long-term survival plan for anyone trapped down here. The short, cloaked figure filed quickly past the central meeting area and into a room at the back. He whispered a password through the door and was let in, the door closing behind him with a loud slam.

The hooded figure stood there in silence as the dim lights danced before him. All he could see was the silhouette of an older person seated before him. Not a word was said as the smaller figure stood next to the door, as if waiting for permission to speak. The position made him feel small and inferior, as if he was not short to begin with. A sense of nervousness descended upon him as he wondered when he would be addressed to.

"You can tell me what you found out now, Milo," the figure from the darkness suddenly called out, his voice cutting through the air like a welding blade, "and take off that cloak while you're at it, you don't need it every time you go out anyway,"

The cloth was removed from the short person's body, and the face of a young boy was revealed. He was only about twelve years old, but his conditions resembled anything but a normal child. Instead of being energetic and having fun, he seemed tired and scared, standing with a slight hunch, with smudges and scars on his body. His clothes were worn and torn on various parts, and the parts of his hair not covered by an old, dirty baseball hat worn in reverse was caked with dust and dirt, darkening what should have been a dark blond. The only unclouded objects on him were his eyes, as the blue-green orbs still gave off a twinkle that signified some hope in his otherwise pessimistic appearance.

"You were spying on them the entire afternoon, so what have you found?" the mysterious figure demanded, "You're bound to have something for me, don't you?"

The little boy named Milo sighed, as if he was not intimidated enough already. He just wished he could relay all the information and get out of there as soon as possible. "It seemed like he has visitors, and asked them to help him out. The celebration for his store is going as planned tomorrow morning, and the money that he'll donate to the orphanage will still be part of the plans," he murmured, trying to avoid eye contact.

The figure from the shadows said nothing, which only made Milo more uneasy. The young boy shifted his weight around, trying to wiggle out of this mess. Knowing any dissatisfaction from his leader would mean cruel punishment, Milo dared not provoke him anymore in fear of retaliation. But fortunately, the reaction was not as negative as he imagined. "Have you heard any more details regarding who'll be there and how the money will be handed off?" he asked, putting the glare on Milo.

The darkness made it impossible for Milo to read the older person's expression. That being said, Milo also heard no more details from Brendan's shop, so he was in difficulty. "Well, he didn't say too much about that, so…" he trailed off.

"In other words, no details," the figure in the shadows interrupted, "figures, right? You always miss out on something. No matter, the plan will still go forward. Tomorrow, when you go to his shop, sneak in with your group at the peak of the celebration. Then, do everything possible to get the money, and then leave without anyone seeing. But while you're at it, I suggest you drop him a gift, courtesy of me. I'll be giving that to you later on," with that he dismissed Milo from the room with a wave of his hand.

The small boy sighed in relief as he trotted out, leaving his leader alone. Leaning back on his chair, the figure said to himself, "Soon, I'll have my revenge."

* * *

"Thanks for coming in and doing this, I know it's your off-day and you have stuff to do," the police captain thanked Jack Riley as he gathered his unit into the meeting room. The recently promoted Sergeant Riley was off-duty today, but knowing this was his first case as staff sergeant, he thought he should give the pre-case briefing.

And that's where this tall, uniformed man with dark, neatly combed hair found himself, at the conference room of his unit ready to address his team. "I just hope they don't have too many questions," he joked, "I don't think my old friend and former teammate Brendan would be too impressed if I showed up to his celebration late."

As the team filed in, Jack explained the new case for his team. "We've been, for the last few years, aware there's been suspicious activity regarding smuggling, both within and outside of state. We've arrested several leaders of smuggling rings, but since there's no concrete evidence as to who's helping them or how their goods are smuggled, the charges are questionable at best," he described.

Some officers grumbled, well aware of the past few smuggling cases involving gangs, but could never quite close the cases. "But that's no longer true, as new clues from interrogations and other witnesses tell us the smugglers they used are nearby," Jack continued, "In fact, we believe it comes from a source you'd never expect: orphans."

That aroused a shocked reaction from the officers. How could some supposedly defenceless children be directly behind this operation? Jack moved to the overhead projector and showed a slide of the neighbourhood surrounding Brendan's store. "This is an area I know quite well, since my friend works here. This is where his store is," he said, marking it with a felt pen, "and as you know from casual conversations with me, Brendan has been donating to the orphanage down the street, right here," he marked it on the map.

The officers craned their necks forward as Jack continued his explanation. "I have reason to believe that the orphanage, under its poor management and maintenance for most of the last ten years, had escapees that ultimately became street kids. And these confused children were ultimately manipulated into becoming smugglers for the gangs. In exchange for their smuggling, the kids were probably offered food, some shelter, and maybe superficial protection," Jack concluded, "and that's why you don't suspect them, because it's not unusual just to see a bunch of kids out in the open."

Again, more whispers between officers, shocked and appalled at how anyone would take advantage of children, let alone orphans. Jack then showed the orphanage's records dating back to ten years ago. "Their record was dismal at best, with limited resources and expertise," he explained, "I was surprised they kept going even when living conditions were in the 'third world' at best. They were warned in the past by regulators to fix their act, but it wasn't until they had better funds to make it work, thanks Brendan's personal donations. In those years, with poor living space and pathetic security, I wouldn't be surprised if we got street urchins from here."

The officers all took notes, realizing the implications of this revelation. A hand was raised for a question. "Have there been records from the past of kids running away from the orphanage before?" the officer asked.

Jack flipped through a set of files, all part of a large missing children's project coordinated by various units and community groups. "The first 'large-scale' escaping was about seven years ago, where Brendan has already made donations to the orphanage three years in a row. The management was starting to turn things around and plans to make living conditions better were supposedly being developed. The escapees' ages ranged from as young as eight or nine, and as old as thirteen or fourteen. In fact, the oldest runaway was sixteen at that time, and he's actually had quite a record here, since he's been caught in various petty thefts before."

Another officer raised his hand. "So is there any awareness among the two sides, both Brendan and the orphanage, of this investigation?"

Jack nodded. "I've given phone calls to the orphanage for the last few days now, but none of them have been exactly cooperative. As for Brendan, he's told me he wants to help, and I'll talk to him today after attending his celebration, of course."

After entertaining a few more questions, Jack was ready to leave. But before he could adjourn the meeting, a female officer had one more point to make. "It seems like, with all these children missing or running away, there could be dozens of them in this business, with no idea of what they're doing. And the most recent escape occurred less than three years ago, with the missing child being a nine-year-old boy, is it possible that some of the more recent kids are recruited by past runaways?" she asked.

Jack held up the file of the last missing child. "Milo Sullivan, nine years old at the time when he went missing. I would assume he's around twelve years old today, but the orphanage didn't give too much information on this to me. It's possible that Milo or any of those other missing children are in this. We have to be careful, alright? Dismissed."

The chairs scraped across the floor as officers filed out of the conference room, still in shock that children were subject to such terrible crimes all in the name of survival. As they moved off, the captain thanked Jack for calling the meeting giving Jack a firm handshake before Jack moved off. The staff sergeant left the station and onto the streets, heading for his friend's store, where a more optimistic occasion was waiting for him.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this wonderful celebration," Mario spoke into the microphone just outside the Yoshi store. Under the request of Yoshi Sr., Mario was made the masters of ceremonies of the celebration. Yoshi Sr. praised Mario for his ability to capture crowds, and gave him the job the night before.

As Mario continued, Yoshi Sr. and Brendan prepared to meet the crowd. Yoshi was the spitting image of his father, except Yoshi Sr. was larger in size, and a bit bulkier due to his lack of activity. The older dinosaur was no longer an active fighter, opting to live a slower lifestyle at his homeland of Yoshi's Island. He had been living there since the death of his parents, or Yoshi's grandparents, and was instrumental in keeping the environment undamaged but sustainable in supplying fruits to his younger brother's store.

"Where on earth is Link?" Brendan muttered as he dialled on his phone. It was decided Fox would record the events on video, while Link brought the two VIP's out from the store. Samus was to prepare the sign for unveiling, Kirby and Pikachu had the money pot to be handed over to the orphanage director at the end of the lion dance race. Yoshi was to stack the Yoshi Island fruits onto the shelves, where they would be sold for half-price today.

But for some strange reason, Link was running late, and nobody knew where he was. Samus ended up staying on the roof of the store, trying to adjust the sign while calling him on his cell. Yoshi had to multitask between shelving the fruits and keeping the VIP's happy, and Pikachu helped unpacked the fruits in the storage room. "Some Hylian hero, does he always do this during big celebrations?" Yoshi Sr. asked his son.

"I don't know, Link's usually pretty punctual, but I'm not sure why he's absent today," Yoshi replied, "they left the hotel together, but Link ran off to do something. He didn't say what, but he promised he'd make it on time." Yoshi did not stay with the Smashers at a hotel; rather, he stayed at his uncle's house.

Just then, Kirby came in from the storage room. "Samus just gave me the update, Link is on a taxi cab and he's on his way here right now," he reported. There was a ladder that led to the roof that was accessible from the storage room.

Just as this was reported, Brendan also got off the phone from the counter. "I just called Jack Riley and he said he's on his way as well. We're all going to be here."

The group breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that everyone would make it. Yoshi Sr. peeked outside and heard Mario introduce the VIP's. He and his brother promptly picked up the banners to the Yoshi Store and prepared for their entrance. Looking at his son, he beamed with pride. "It's a bit regrettable that your mother couldn't make it," he said, "she was feeling sick last week and was still bedridden as of last night, so she told me to go without her. I would have really liked her to come see this."

Yoshi shrugged. "Maybe that's why we got Fox, who'll be recording all of this. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture," he responded.

"And with that, I invite the founders of the Yoshi Store to come out," they heard Mario announce, "the brothers who brought the best of Yoshi's Island to San Francisco and beyond, Yoshi and Brendan!" Hearing the thunderous applause, the brothers pushed the doors open and emerged with their banners held high and proud.

The crowd roared and cheered as Yoshi Sr. and Brendan took the stage. They planted the banners of Yoshi's Island and the store front and centre. Yoshi Sr. moved to his old friend Mario and greeted him with a handshake, while Brendan saw Jack in the crowd, and invited him onto the stage where they too shook hands. Returning to the mike, Mario told the crowd, "Ten years ago, these two had an idea to showcase the best their homeland had to offer the world, and today, here are the fruits of their labour."

As the audience laughed along to the joke, a taxi cab pulled up at the corner of the block. The door whipped open as a tall young man with dirty blond hair stepped out. Quickly paying the driver, Link hurried around the bend to attend the ceremony. Things went a bit out of hand where he was before, throwing his schedule out of order.

But just as he headed to the front door, something in the alley behind the Yoshi Store caught his eye. He took a few steps into the darker passage, letting the shadows around shade over him. It reminded him of the now-destroyed Shadow Temple back at Hyrule, as the atmosphere here was a direct contrast to the celebratory mood on the other side. And in the dim and damp alley, Link could have sworn he saw an unusual sight. "Why would there be kids playing, especially here in an alley?" he wondered.

The Hylian warrior inched into the dim alley, the moisture on the ground seeping through his boots. Indeed, the sounds of children echoed through the walls of the old buildings as he got closer. Link was used to having children playing in unusual areas, since the Kokiris were children of the forests, but an alley was certainly much more dangerous than Kokori Forest, and the people that tended to hang around places like such were much more unfriendly than any of the leprechaun-like race, even Mido. He leaned against the wall, trying to conceal himself while peeking around the bend.

From just around the wall of the adjacent building, Link could see a bunch of kids gathered around on the ground. Most of them were in the early-teens, and wore dirty or tattered clothing. An older boy was barking orders at the others, and the echoes bouncing off the walls made the words inaudible to Link, even with his extra-sensitive ears. But the most suspicious part was that a box was present in this older boy's hand, as Link could only imagine what it contained. "Are they painting graffiti?" he murmured.

But before he could get closer, the back door to the Yoshi Store swung open, and Pikachu stepped out to throw something into the trash. Because of his small stature, he had Kirby help him lift bag into the dumpster. As they turned around, they saw Link with his head still facing the back of the alley, and the two were none too please. "Link, what on earth are you doing?" Kirby demanded, a grimace pasted onto his pink face.

Link stuttered, taking a step back to regain his balance as the pink Star Warrior and the electric rodent glared at him. "You're late, for crying out loud," Pikachu berated Link, "where've you been and what took you so long?"

Link's expression flashed between guilty to shock, and between all that he still had the issue of the mysterious kids behind the alley. "You might want to take a look at what's behind that building," the Hylian said, pointing in the other direction, "I saw some kids back there and they look like they're trying to paint graffiti on the walls."

However, Kirby and Pikachu were not impressed. "Don't change the topic on us, Link," Kirby fumed, "you ran off on us and now you're late, and all you can do is make up some story about kids vandalizing the store? What do you take us for?"

"No, I'm serious, they're right there just then," Link insisted, still pointing over the two short friends' heads, "look, I'm sorry for being late, and I'll do everything to make it up to you. But seriously, just turn around and take a look, please?"

"You'll make it up to us alright," Pikachu replied angrily, dropping the bag of garbage at Link's feet and stepped away. "You're going to help us throw this bag in the dumpster. It's just old wrapping and broken pieces of wood from the new sign, so I'm sure you won't have difficulty with it," he spat before heading back into the store. They still had plenty to do, and Link was not making their lives any easier by being late.

Link reluctantly picked up the bag and threw it into the dumpster, all the while keeping his eyes trained at the back alley. The sounds were gone as the children seemed to have taken off. "Who are those guys?" he wondered, staring into the darkness.

* * *

"I would like to introduce our two VIP's for this ceremony, performing the all-important task of dotting the eyes on our lions for the lion dance race," Mario explained. For Ashley's idea to come to fruition, it required the cooperation of two local martial arts schools, who were willing to send their lion dance teams to participate in the event. It didn't hurt that Ashley had been a popular character in Chinatown, not just with her restaurant, but her open personality and ability to mingle with the Asian crowd.

"The dotting of the eyes signifies the blessing of the lion, and for this occasion, we have two people very close to the Yoshi Store with us today," Mario announced as two men in their sixties exited. One was dressed in a traditional Chinese dress shirt, and he was the head of the Chinatown Association, a friend of Ashley's and the main person to bring husband and wife into the Chinatown core. The other was dressed in a sports jacket and ball cap, and was Brendan's manager on his Major League Baseball Team.

The two elderly men stepped up to the lions and dotted the irises onto them with a thin black pen. As they slowly stepped back, the banging of the drums signalled the start of their race. The bobbing and weaving of the dancing lions seemed more like an artistic performance rather than a race, yet slowly but surely, they made their way down the sidewalk. The crowd backed off slightly, but looked on like curious kittens as the lions moved around the bend, jockeying for position as they prepared to enter the mouth of the alley. Kirby was expected to handle the money pot, and the winner was the one to grab it first. The winner would then parade back to the front, where the director of the orphanage would receive the money from the store owners.

"You guys got the money pot ready?" Kirby shouted from the mouth of the alley. Pikachu was expected to head out from the back door with the pot in hand, but somehow Pikachu was nowhere to be found. The increasing volume of the pounding drums and the continued silence from the back door made the puffball really uncomfortable. "I'm going to be late handing the money over, buddy. Hurry up please?" he hissed.

As Link pushed the back door open, letting Pikachu out with the pot, someone flew through the air and bowled over Pikachu, letting the money pot hit the ground with a loud clang. The rushing people knocked the open door so hard that Link almost ended up with a broken nose. The Hylian staggered back, full well knowing that Pikachu had been mugged. Undaunted, Link pushed out of the store, catching a glimpse of the culprits as they sped off into the alley. "Kirby, come here!" he yelled, "Pikachu's been attacked! I think they made off with the money! Tend to him while I go get it back, alright?"

As Kirby watched over the wounded Pikachu, Link gave chase to the assailants. Link was not known to be a fast Smasher, but without his heavy sword and shield, he was quite nimble. The Hylian raced into the alley, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for the thieves that took off with the money. Link's feet slapped against the moist concrete ground as he tried to gain ground. There was no telling how far they might have gone.

Indeed, the thieves disappeared into the nooks and crannies of the back passages, leaving Link completely beat and hyperventilating. As he crouched over and caught his breath, he tried to peer inside any openings that might fit a person. Most of the slots were thin and small, and would probably fit small children better. Where are they, he thought.

Then suddenly, from the corner of his eye, a small figure holding a pot sneaked into the open. Link could not believe his luck, as the thief made the drastic mistake. He pivoted sideways and dove at the figure, tackling him straight to the ground. Using his upper body strength, Link pinned the thief and grabbed the pot. Seeing his face covered by an old ball cap, Link reached up and snatched it off. "Let's see who you are."

But to his surprise, the assailant was a young boy, looking no older than Link's younger counterpart. The smudges and cuts on his face only added to his misery, but it was the watery eyes that distracted Link the most. It was as if Link faced Oliver Twist, begging for more food. "You're just a kid," Link whispered, his eyes the size of plates.

That split moment was enough for the kid to wriggle free and speed off. It didn't matter that Link had his muscular torso and abdomen on the boy; when survival was at stake, the kid did whatever it took to get free, even at the expense of Link's pity and sympathy. "Hey, come back here! Hey, you!" Link shouted with the ball cap still in his hand.

"Link, is everything alright?" he heard a voice ask. Turning around, he saw Kirby help Pikachu limp over to him. Pikachu had cuts and bruises of his own, and his head was still shaky, but otherwise he was fine. "You got back the money? Who's the assailant?"

Link nodded, still shocked at the revelation. He stuffed the cap into his waistband and tucked the pot in. "It's a kid, around the age of my younger self," he stammered, "He might be a beggar or something like that, judging by his clothes. We should tell Brendan about it afterwards, maybe he'll inform Sergeant Riley to look into this."

The three hurried back to the store, where the lions had already made their way into the alley and near the back door. Link charged in with the money pot in hand, where two lions immediately lunged at the Hylian. More jockeying for position took place, but finally one lion managed to pull the pot into its mouth. The crowd cheered as the race was over, the winning lion bowing its head in gratitude to Link while the loser bowed to the winner, gracious in defeat. Throughout the events, Link stared on expressionlessly, his mind still wrapped around the young beggar. Where did he come from, he thought.

The lions slowly danced their way back to the front, waiting to put the pot into the store owner's hands. Link, Kirby and Pikachu decided to beat the crowd and go to the front through the store, knifing through the storage room and the aisles of fruits. They blazed in so quickly that it nearly knocked over Yoshi, who had just finished placing the fruits onto the stands. They reached the front door just in time for Mario to announce the winner and waving Yoshi's father and uncle to the front to receive the money.

But instead of the expected, it was Yoshi Sr. who was asked to get the pot. "I owe it to my brother," Brendan grabbed the mike and explained to the crowd, "It was his idea to showcase the fruits to you, so it's only right that he makes the donation."

Yoshi Sr. thanked his brother's gracious gesture with a strong hug. Still smiling at Brendan, he plucked the pot from the lion's mouth. The crowd roared in approval as he brandished the pot, lifting it high in the air for everyone to see. Cameras snapped and Fox swung the recorder at Yoshi Sr. as he prepared to open it. The orphanage director stood nearby, waiting anxiously to receive the cheque. Friends and supporters of the store were ready to erupt into more cheers as they neared the final step of the unveiling of the sign.

Then everything seemed to move in slow motion as Yoshi Sr. reached for the lid. Nobody knew what or how it happened, but a strange smoke could be seen seeping out, and before anyone could react, an explosion rocked the area, blowing back Yoshi Sr. and the people surrounding him. Screams of fear were heard as the crowd raced for safety, all the while Mario pleaded for calm despite coughing on the suffocating plume. Jack leaped to the front with his gun drawn, prepared to shoot at any suspects in sight.

Meanwhile, the Smashers could only look on helplessly as Brendan attended to his injured brother. He tried to sit Yoshi Sr. up, assessing the injuries done to him. The blast caught the upper body, causing burns and cuts to the face. But the most shocking revelation was when Yoshi Sr. spoke for the first time. "Brendan, my eyes, I can't see!"

* * *

How's that for an explosive beginning (no pun intended)? There's more to come, so hang on to your hats!


	2. The Culprit Revealed

Two of my friends from the Tales of Symphonia fandom, **Poet Bucky** and **I.K.A. Valian**, were kind enough to review the last chapter. They had some comments regarding pacing, and how they hoped the story went a bit faster. My response is "Yes and no." Yes because the story is picking up its pace, and will be faster starting this chapter, but no because the few slow scenes are meant to offer hints to future events (like foreshadowing). So I would just like all my readers to know: just because a scene is slower doesn't mean you should skip it over. You may miss out on some clues! With that, on with our next chapter!

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"Brendan, my eyes, I can't see!" That line still echoed through Brendan's mind as he waited patiently at the hospital. Within seconds of the explosion, the Smashers did everything they could to get the people to safety all the while Jack helped Brendan tend to Yoshi Sr. and called an ambulance. Shortly after, the paramedics arrived and strapped the large dinosaur onto a stretcher as the scene was entirely taped off by Jack's police colleagues. Still in shock, Brendan promptly called his wife telling her to call off the banquet lunch for his guests and meet him at the hospital.

Just then, another genetically mutated Yoshi stepped into the hospital waiting room. Unlike Brendan, this Yoshi was female and had two-toned skin: gold on the bottom and blue on top, separating by a wave-like pattern on her side. "Brendan," she called, "how's Yoshi? Is he doing alright?"

Brendan looked up and saw his wife's concerned expression. She was clearly shaken by the events as described to her over the phone, and left the restaurant that she owned and headed just to come see her brother-in-law. It boggled both husband and wife as to who would be behind this act, and putting not just their family and the Smashers, but all those spectators and shoppers at risk as well.

Brendan moved his head in the direction of the emergency room, which was still closed to the public at the moment. "They're still operating on him," Brendan explained, "I heard that the exploded, embedded bits and pieces of the money pot into his skin, and the smoke caused some burns to his face as well." Brendan's hand shook as he brought a cup of water to his mouth, "but when I tended to him after the explosion: he said he lost his sight. I felt so helpless, I didn't know what to do."

Ashley sat next to her husband, gently brushing his back to calm him down. "What about Yoshi and his friend?" she asked, "Are they alright? Where are they now?"

"Jack wanted to bring them to the station to give a testimony. Fox brought a video camera and recorded those events, so I'm guessing Jack wants to see his tape," Brendan replied, "I've never seen Yoshi that upset before."

Just then, the emergency room light flickered off and the medical staff stepped out. Brendan and Ashley rushed in and peppered them with questions, bombarding the team so fast and furiously that the lead doctor had to plead for calm and order. "The patient is alright, we have removed all metal embedded into him. He has suffered some major burns to his face and torso, so we're going to keep him bandaged up for now, and we'll monitor his progress from there," he described.

"When we were at the store, he said he couldn't see. What happened to his eyes? Will he go blind from now on?" Brendan demanded, his voice wavering.

"He has experienced some trauma to the head, and that's what seemed to have knocked out his eyesight for the moment. A recovery is possible, but it's going to take a long time," the doctor replied, "we can only hope for the best."

Brendan looked like he had been hit by a bus. The prospects of his brother going blind were too much for him to handle. Yoshi Sr. had been Brendan's biggest supporter: from their school days when they studied together, to Brendan's baseball days when he helped Brendan hone his skills, to their university days when Yoshi Sr. gave Brendan advice on how to get together with Ashley, and to when they pitched the idea to start the Yoshi Store and donate a portion of the Yoshi Island fruits profits to charity. Throughout his life, Yoshi Sr. had been a pillar of rock, guiding his brother, friends, and even his son with steadiness. Now, Brendan was not sure if his brother could work through this hurdle of losing his sight. As he stood there expressionlessly, Ashley asked, "Can we see him?"

The doctor let them in, albeit reluctantly, and he reminded them that Yoshi Sr. should be resting for now. Thanking the medical team, Brendan and Ashley scurried into the room. They navigated around the curtains surrounding the bed and saw their relative in a semi-conscious state. Yoshi Sr. resembled a train wreck victim, with all sorts of tubes and wires sticking in various parts of his body. The machines beeped in unison as the large dinosaur breathed slowly, his face covered with bandages, covering the burnt skin from the smoke. "Hey, can you hear me?" Brendan asked, nudging his brother's hand, "We heard the doctors, and we believe you're strong enough to go through this."

Yoshi Sr. softly groaned, showing signs of his extreme fatigue and weakness. "I know you must be worried about the others right now," Ashley added, "but they're with Jack Riley at the police station, and everyone, including Yoshi, is safe."

Yoshi Sr. gave another slurred response, indicating that he heard Ashley's report. Brendan looked on, reluctant to push his brother any further, but he still felt he should ask him. "Yoshi, do you recall anything unusual when you opened the money pot?"

Yoshi Sr. leaned his head back a bit. He was still immobile from all the injuries, but from their angle, Brendan and Ashley could see him try to shake his head. Given his injuries, even a small action like that became that much more difficult. "So if he saw nothing weird with the pot, then it's got to be before he received it that the bomb was planted," Ashley analyzed, "who had the money pot last?"

Brendan thought hard, trying to remember who he assigned onto each task the day before. "Link was late, so Yoshi had to multitask between stacking fruits and keeping the VIP's happy. Pikachu and Kirby were in the back, and had to help Yoshi unwrap stuff, so it's got to be one of those two. But they have no motive to plant a bomb, so maybe some other person did it while their backs were turned?" he wondered. After all, the two were to hand off the pot in an alley, so who knew what might have happened there.

Regardless, they felt the best course of action was still to ask Jack about it. Since their policeman friend was interrogating everyone, he was bound to have something. "We have to talk to the others," Ashley decided. They said their goodbyes to Yoshi Sr. and exited the emergency room, leaving the wounded dinosaur for the night to rest.

* * *

The Smashers sat silently in the waiting area, feeling deflated and dejected as each member was asked to enter the interrogation room where they gave testimonies on their knowledge of the events to Jack and his unit. Yoshi was the last to be interviewed, as he was inside the store the entire time, meaning he had the worst view of everyone. Moreover, he never touched the money pot at all, so it was unlikely that he knew about what went in at which time. As Yoshi went in, Jack assured the Smashers that the police would do everything possible to get to the bottom of it.

But that was not good enough for some of the Smashers, who were still feeling apprehensive about the events. Mario could still hear the screams of the audience running away from the explosion, Fox was still shaken by the events he had taped on the camera, Samus could still feel the smoke floating up towards her as she prepared the sign on the roof, and Link still remembered the street urchin that took the money pot from him.

But none of them took it as badly as Kirby and Pikachu, who were the ones to let the pot be taken from them in the first place. Both considered Yoshi a close friend, and seeing what their negligence did to Yoshi's father, they felt extremely guilty about what happened, and had been hoping that he could recover soon. The two small Smashers sat to a corner by themselves, away from the group and their scrutiny. Both feared reaction from the others after the mugging at the Yoshi Store's back door.

But one particular member was not about to let them wallow in their guilt, as he felt he had as much blame to take as the two little guys. Link had been observing the two for a while now and there was no way he would let them take the entire burden alone. He got off his chair and moved up to the two, trying to offer some reassurance. "Hey, you guys alright?" he whispered, a look of concern plastered on his face.

Kirby and Pikachu looked up. "I should have been more careful," the yellow mouse quipped, "I should have seen the guy coming and avoided him, or maybe even shocked him. That way, they could have never stolen the pot and placed the bomb in."

"No, I should have been the one to see them," Kirby retorted, "I was right there when they snatched the pot, and I could have done something as well, but I let them get away. If there's anyone that should apologize to Yoshi, it should be me."

Link knelt down to face the two friends. Putting a hand on each character, he told them, "It happened totally out of the blue, and nobody could have known they would attack at that time. I'm as much to blame as you, since I was chasing him and didn't even notice they made a switch and I took back a bomb. The only thing we can hope for is that we help the police as much as possible, and find out who did this."

Just then, Brendan and Ashley rushed into the police station. Seeing the Smashers all gathered and seated at the waiting area, the two dinosaurs approached them and began bombarding them with questions. "Is everyone alright? Where's Yoshi? Did Jack find out anything? Do we know who might be behind this?" they asked rapidly.

"Slow down, guys," Mario called from his seat, "We're doing okay, Yoshi's just gone into the interrogation room, and Jack's still trying to piece together the puzzle, but he'll tell us more later on. By the way, how's Yoshi Sr. doing?"

"He's currently out of surgery. The doctors are saying he needs as much rest as possible, and it's uncertain whether he'll regain his eyesight anytime soon," Ashley explained, "what about you guys? What do we know so far?"

Fox sighed as he faced the couple, the signs of fatigue cracking across his face like a fissure. "We know that Pikachu held the money pot before getting jumped, and he was originally going to hand it off to Kirby. After getting hit, the thief took off with the money while Link gave chase. And when Link returned with the money, it was actually a bomb. So we're guessing they must have made a switch some time in between."

"Do we have any idea where those street urchins may be hiding after Link chased them down?" Ashley asked, "It's an alley, so there are bound to be nooks and crannies that they can slip into without being noticed."

"There could very well be," Samus replied, "when I was on the roof, I had a good view of the back alleys. I saw a lot of passages behind the other shops and buildings. It wouldn't surprise me if those kids went into that maze, which makes them all that harder to find. It's going to be a hard case for the police."

Just then, Link, Kirby and Pikachu stepped up to Brendan and Ashley. "Guys, I know we're probably the ones most responsible for the events, and I know nothing we say can make Yoshi Sr. heal faster, so we're going to do all we can to make it up to you," Link explained, "we're going to help you look in the network of alleyways for the kids."

Brendan was stunned. Never had he considered holding anyone accountable for the events, but here Link was offering to get the money back for him. Surely he wasn't considering risking his own safety, was he? "Link, I don't think you should risk it," he replied, "I'm sure Jack has it all under control and you should just offer what you know."

But the Hylian persisted, insisting that his tardiness was a factor in the attack. "I came in late, which caused Pikachu and Kirby to lose their timing of transferring the pot to the lion. Tomorrow, the three of us are going to look around the alleys and see where we can go in. I'm sure we can find a clue somewhere around there."

Just then, Brendan's cell phone rang, the shrill sound jolting the large dinosaur. He checked the caller ID and saw it was his sister-in-law, Yoshi's mother, and guessed she probably got wind of Yoshi Sr. being caught in the explosion. Sighing, he stepped aside to update her, realizing that no news was good news at this time. As he did this, the three guilty Smashers were intent on carrying their plan through once dawn broke.

* * *

"Alright, let's see where we want to start," Link, Kirby and Pikachu stood before the taped off Yoshi Store, with the newly minted sign still covered by the tarp. Samus never got the chance to unveil the sign, and the police insisted that everything be kept the way it was so they could gather evidence. Even as the threesome surveyed the scene, the forensics team was busy gathering evidence, scurrying around them like small rodents.

"You think the three of us are enough to find those nooks and crannies you're talking about?" Kirby asked, still apprehensive about Link's plan. They weren't able to convince the others to join them, as they were more intent on letting the police handle things. Mario and Yoshi were visiting Yoshi Sr. at the hospital, and Fox was at the police station trying to get back his camera and tape. Samus was sticking around Brendan's house to help him in any way possible, given his store was off-limits for the time being.

"We'll find a way into the alleys, and once we're there we map every back door and side door," Link decided, "with stores and buildings lining the street like this, the kids might hide in them without the owners knowing." With determination, the tall Hylian strolled into the darkness of the alleys.

Kirby and Pikachu glanced at each other nervously. Never had they seen Link that persistent before, even knowing that he was the holder of the Triforce of Courage. But it was because of this nature that they knew he was hard to sway, as Link was unlikely to change his mind once he made a decision. "No point in standing around. Let's go with him just to keep him safe," Pikachu told the pink puffball. The two shook hands and ventured into the alleys after their friend.

Unfortunately for them, there was police presence near the area Link tackled the street urchin the day before. And true to police fashion, they refused to let the Smashers join into their investigation. "Civilians shouldn't be back here," the officer said, blocking Link's progress, "step out of the alley and let us do our work."

"Look, you don't understand. I tackled that little boy right here, and he could be hiding somewhere nearby," Link described, waving his arms in frustration. Kirby and Pikachu, who were less than half of Link's height, tugged on Link's pants to get him to back down. It wasn't worth it to put them on the police suspects list.

"Hey, I've seen situations like this before. It's called the Kokiri Forest in Hyrule, and those guys are much more nimble than these street urchins," Link retorted after the officer rejected him again. Link had one finger jabbed into the officer's face while his other hand was at his waistband, trying to prevent his pants from being pulled off by his smaller friends. "I'm telling you right now, you guys have to look at those areas."

"The police will deal with each place as precisely as possible, and we'd appreciate it if we can do it without interruption," the officer shot back, "now, if you don't want to be arrested and be charged for obstruction of justice, I suggest you run along and let us do our work. Take a hike, Smashers!" He barked, pointing in the opposite direction.

Finally, Link decided to back down and let the forensics team do their work, but not before he left some choice words for the officer. "We'll find some other way to go in there ourselves," he muttered, turning on his heal, "and guys, please stop yanking on my pants. I get you point in wanting to leave, but it's sagging by a ton right now."

But Kirby and Pikachu persisted, pulling Link out of the alley by his pants. They finally released him when they reentered the brighter streets. "We're here to help them, not get a criminal record," Pikachu chastised the Hylian as they let go of his pants.

Link fumed, feeling unimpressed at the police for not letting him in and Pikachu and Kirby for pulling on his pants. With half his underwear still showing, Link strutted down the street uncomfortably, trying to readjust his pants. "We'll wait it out then," he replied, "I'm sure the police won't be here forever."

And so they waited, sitting at a bench across the street from the store and glaring at the forensics team like hawks. There was no way that Link would be denied, and no way would Kirby and Pikachu let their friend get into any more trouble. The strange observation session was not unnoticed by Fox, who left the police station to meet up with his friends, who he figured to be at the Yoshi Store. Seeing the comical scene of the three shooting death glares at the forensics team, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "What is this? The Smasher version of the Thinker statue?" he joked as he approached them.

The three glanced over at the Cornerian fighter pilot and smiled. "It's good you still have your sense of humour, Fox," Link stated, scooting over to let his friend sit, "did you get the camera back? What did the police find out?"

Fox shrugged. "The tape didn't really help them. It caught the explosion, but gave no clues on the actually placing of the bomb into the pot. They identified the bomb, as a mix between a cherry bomb and a smoke bomb, probably made by someone with little experience in explosives. Not sure if there's any more to reveal other than that," he concluded, "how about you?"

Kirby gave Link an irritated sideways glance. "We're with the wannabe hero here trying to get into the back alleys so we can look in the nooks and crannies, only to have the police tell us not to mess around with their investigation. Now we're just waiting for them to leave so Link can go busting in there again."

Fox shook his head. "You're going to be here for a little while, considering the police will be as thorough as possible. I say we'll have a better chance coming back later in the day, or maybe even in the evening."

Kirby and Pikachu looked at Link again. Link was still determined to get in and find out about the street urchins, but knowing that the police would be occupying the area for the rest of the day he agreed and reluctantly departed with his friends. "It's not because I agree with you," he insisted, "it's just I have no intentions of letting you make me walk around showing my underwear again."

But as they left, something suspicious was happening just under their feet, just below a manhole where the sewer system was. A certain group of mysterious children were gathering, and plotting the next move of their plan.

* * *

A group of children of a range of ages gathered in a large meeting hall of sorts in the underground sewage system. Despite the age differences, they all had one thing in common: they were all once orphans that lived in the orphanage down the street from Brendan's store. And here they were, gathered again to hear their leader tell them the supposed good news: how they raided the money pot and dealt a big blow to their enemy, Brendan and the orphanage that he had been donating to all these years.

But this time, their leader did not seem impressed, as if something had gone wrong with their operation. "Today, we have stopped another money transfer between the Yoshi Store and the orphanage, and another group of kids have been saved from the horrific torture chambers, courtesy of us," he began, his body mainly in the shadows.

The children cheered, most still remembered the poor conditions and unfriendly staff they had when they were still there. "I have enough money to keep our resistance going, and to let all of you stay with me. Together, we will push the Yoshi Store out of the neighbourhood and give those other orphans, kids similar to you, a better life."

Another round of cheers, it was becoming increasingly similar to a brainwashing exercise, where the audience would approve of anything the leader said. However, the next revelation caught most people off guard. "However, I also sent a package to our old friend Brendan, who happened to be celebrating his store's tenth anniversary. Since he claimed to have a big heart, I thought I should match him by giving him something of my own. It's something that would make his celebration a bit more explosive."

The kids looked on like curious tourists viewing a dangerous animal in the zoo as the older speaker pulled out a metal pot on sorts, identical to the one used by Brendan in the celebration. "I placed a smoke bomb into the container, and had one of our younger helpers leave it out in the open. They managed to bring it back to the celebration, where an explosive ending sent a person to the hospital, but not the right person."

Another object was pulled out, this time a news article from the internet featuring local news. The leader stepped into the lights just in time to pull the article before his face to read. "A local store celebrating its tenth anniversary had its ceremony hijacked by an explosive. The bomb exploded into the face of a member of the Yoshi species known to his friends as Yoshi Sr. He has been identified as the brother of Brendan, the owner and current storekeeper of the Yoshi Store," he reported, his voice filled with disgust.

The leader then crumpled the sheet and hurled it aside, scanning the crowd from the safety of the top deck. "For this, we must bring in the last person to have the money pot and made the delivery. Milo Sullivan, come forth!" he demanded.

Immediately, two older boys grabbed a small child wearing an old ball cap front and centre. They roughly threw him onto the floor, where he was in the spotlight and directly in the vision of the leader. Nobody gave any sympathy to him as they all backed down, leaving him alone to suffer whatever punishment the leader was about to dish out. Amidst all the people, Milo felt very small, weak, and completely helpless.

The older male did not make life any easier as he questioned Milo from above. "I suggest you explain to us how a perfect plan, to take their money and replace it with a perfectly identical pot with the bomb in it, falls into the hands of the wrong person?"

"I, I don't know. I was holding the pot, and…and I was running across the open, just like you guys said, and…and then I got tackled, by this big elf guy and he just snatched it out of me…" Milo stuttered, not daring to look up.

"You got tackled? We told you to run across the open with the pot, only to leave it at the side when you hide again. How could you get tackled?" The leader spat, unimpressed and shocked at the boy's incompetence.

"I don't know, he just came out of nowhere, and…" Milo continued. He knew nothing he could say would get his leader to change his mind, even when it was changed at the last minute that Yoshi Sr. was to receive the pot, an act he had no control over.

"Enough!" the leader shouted, slamming his hand on the rail. That silenced all those around them, as Milo was about to be reprimanded. "This was our biggest move to disable the enemy, and you botched it by getting tackled. I don't care whether it's an elf, a human, a dinosaur, or even a Martian that caught you, but your actions today deserve punishment. We were originally doing another raid on the neighbourhood tomorrow, getting all we can out of the block that supported the orphanage. But since you made the mistake, you'll atone for it by doing the raid, tonight!" he decided.

Milo looked scared as his eyes raised from the ground. "It can't be. There are still the police and all those other people around, what if I get caught?" he asked fearfully.

"If you get caught, it'll be the second time in a day, then it really means you're incompetent," the leader replied mercilessly, "I say you really deserve to spend your life with the other lowlife beings, in jail. My decision is final, move out at sunset."

The other children filed out of the central area, leaving Milo alone in his wake. They all ignored him, going about their own activities. Even the raid team, which was involved in the operation, refused to acknowledge Milo. Sighing, the young boy could only hope nothing went wrong, so at least he would return to his leader's good books.

* * *

"How are you holding up, Yoshi?" Ashley asked her nephew as they prepared to close her restaurant for the day. Earlier that day, Yoshi went to the hospital to visit his father, and upon seeing his condition, was pretty much down for the rest of that day. The usually happy and energetic dinosaur was muted and subdued, not talking much to those around him and rarely raising his eyes from the ground. In fact, had Brendan not convinced Yoshi to help Ashley at the restaurant, he would be locked in all day.

"I'll be fine, Aunt Ashley," he replied monotonously, "I just can't believe why someone would do this to Uncle Brendan and Dad."

Ashley looked over at the drooped posture of her nephew. Feeling sympathetic, she stepped up to him and put her arm around his shoulder. "It can't be helped. I know we all wanted to do something to save them, but nobody saw the explosion coming."

Yoshi returned the hug, as the two embraced each other in the now empty restaurant. It was already very late into the night, and most, if not all, of the staff had already gone home. And maybe because they were all alone that Yoshi felt even more uneasy. He had almost lost his father due to the explosion, so the last thing he needed was to feel even more alone. But there was something that was still bothering him: who was the bomb intended for, and why did the street urchin deliver it to them?

But before Yoshi could ask his aunt, Ashley had one last task for him. "Can you go to the kitchen and take out the last bit of trash?" she asked. Being an environmentalist, Ashley had always believed in composting, and had any organic food bits stored in a composter on the side. Only those bits that could not be composted would be thrown away, so usually they had less garbage than most of the other shops on their block.

Yoshi nodded and stepped into the kitchen like a zombie, his mind still loaded with possibilities of the events that happened. "Dad hasn't lived in San Francisco since he met Mom, so the bomb can't possibly be for him," he murmured as he grabbed the dark trash bags, "Uncle Brendan has lived in San Francisco since his baseball playing days were over, but he's been mainly a shopkeeper and philanthropist. Hmm…"

Yoshi kept on mulling the options as he stepped out from the back door and into the alleys, the cool breezes from the bay cutting into his skin like icicles. His mind was still filled with ideas as he moved up to the dumpster, ready to place the trash in when a strange shuffling sound distracted him. The rustling was muffled by the wind whistling above his head, but Yoshi could have sworn that it sounded like a mix between stepping on the concrete and clothing being brushed against each other. "Who's there?" he called.

There was no response, and the wind blowing through the dark, narrow passage created a mysterious atmosphere. Yoshi stood there by himself, glaring at the dark alley before him, as if it were trying to lure him in. The cavernous opening was completely dark, with no lighting whatsoever around him, making the young dinosaur wonder what threat would be inside waiting for him should he enter. This is dangerous, he thought.

Yoshi slowly stepped up to the dumpster and opened it as quietly as possible, without the metal lid making any squeaking sounds. He gently placed the trash bag in, and hid behind the container as his cover, taking sneak peeks over it to keep an eye on the source of the sounds. There was something moving in the shadows, and Yoshi was set on finding out what or who it was as he stared daggers into the alley.

Then, Yoshi finally saw it. From the cavern-like entrance, a set of silhouettes showed a bunch of young people bobbing around. The biggest one, Yoshi guessed, could not be anything over his early teen years, and the rest were young children at best. Yoshi manoeuvred himself from behind the dumpster and positioned himself on the other side, where he still had the large metal container as a cover but could get closer to the children should they be doing anything suspicious. Knowing that his uncle's store was attacked by street urchins, he would not be surprised if they targeted his aunt next. What did have they ever done to deserve this, he thought. They didn't do anything to those kids, right?

Then, Yoshi suddenly remembered. When he was asking Brendan what he felt about the donations he had been making to the orphanage throughout the last ten years, he said he was taking a risk. Maybe these were orphans from the orphanage that ran away and became street urchins? It was a possibility that Yoshi was unwilling to rule out. But before he could make another move, Yoshi could hear metal grinding on metal, sounding like as if a lock was being broken. Yoshi squinted into the darkness and saw the urchins sneak into another store. Immediately, Yoshi pulled out his cell phone and called the police, describing the scene to the operator as he inched forward. "There are about five or six of them, and they just broke into a store on the corner of the block," he explained, parking himself just outside the doorframe.

"Alright, just stay right where you are and don't go anywhere," the operator told Yoshi, "We'll send a unit there ASAP. Where's your current location right now?"

Yoshi was about to give the address of his aunt's restaurant to the operator when he heard something sinister being said inside the building. "Make sure we get to the corner building," he heard the voice order, "we got something big to do there."

Yoshi's heart skipped a beat. There were two large corner buildings on this block, and one of them was the Yoshi Store, owned by Brendan at the other end of the street. The only one that was unscathed was Ashley's restaurant, and if the street urchins were planning on attack, it would put Yoshi and his aunt directly in the line of fire. "I've got to do something," Yoshi murmured. Quickly giving the address to the police, he told them to search up and down the block, just in case the street urchins escaped. Putting the cell phone away, he took a deep breath and bravely marched into the shop.

Yoshi barely got two steps in when one of the children rushed by, brushing arms with him. The scrape surprised both parties, as it caused Yoshi to take a step back and the little thief to drop the items held earlier. The objects hit the ground with a loud clang, causing all attention to turn to the direction of the door.

Realizing he had been outnumbered, and the police still had not arrived, Yoshi decided to stand his ground. "Alright, nobody move!" he shouted, getting into a fighter stance, "None of you are getting out of here until the police arrives!"

Immediately, there was sheer pandemonium as the children scrambled to escape. Some tried to go near the door, but Yoshi did all he could to block the way. Sacrificing his body, Yoshi launched himself head-first at the kids closest to him, slamming them to the ground. A couple of them tried to dash out with Yoshi away from the door, but the green dinosaurs did a tail whip, slamming them back into the store. Objects flew and fell, banging and clanging around the store as the group's leader barked out more orders. He didn't know how long it lasted, but Yoshi was persistent in stalling for enough time.

"Change tactics! Leave from the back door and retreat!" the leader called from the back. Immediately, a group of kids stampeded in the opposite direction, leaving Yoshi on the ground wrestling with a fistful of air. Hope was getting bleak as the police sirens were heard echoing in the distance, piercing the night like a sharp blade. Desperate, Yoshi had to go with the last trick up his sleeve. Sticking out his long tongue, he latched onto the child closest to him and reeled him in, swallowing him whole.

Yoshi turned and pointed his tail into the air like an arrow, laying a polka-dotted egg containing the street urchin he just swallowed. But before he could stand up properly, the leader of the group pulled a bag over his face and landed a few punches to him. With the cover, Yoshi was defenceless as the assailant attacked. The assault officially gave the kids enough time to sneak out, and the leader finally stopped the barraged when the lights from the police car pulled into the alley, seeing it as his sign to depart.

Yoshi managed to pull the bag away from him just in time to see the boy he swallowed break out of the egg and leave. Grasping at his last chance, Yoshi pushed off from the ground and produced an egg bomb, hurling it in the direction of the fleeing child like a quarterback's Hail Mary pass. It slammed into the person's back, exploding on contact and sending him straight into the ground. Yoshi then rushed up and pinned the boy. "I'm handing you over to the police," he snarled, pulling him over to see his face.

But the appearance of the boy's face shocked Yoshi, as he was almost a spitting image of Link's younger self. The boy had messy, dirty blond hair and round, somewhat watery eyes. His worn and old clothing further emphasized his innocence, leaving Yoshi frozen in surprise. Yoshi racked his brain hard, wondering where he had seen that face before, even with the police parking their vehicle just outside of the store. "Please let me go," the boy pleaded, "give me a chance?"

Suddenly, it hit him. When they were at the police station being interrogated by Jack, Link mentioned that a child of similar description was at the Yoshi Store holding the money pot last before the Hylian tackled him. Link ended up returning with a smoke bomb in the pot, and the result was Yoshi Sr. getting blasted before a crowd. Instantly, pity turned to anger as Yoshi's eyes became knives. "You were the one who stole the money pot and replaced it with a bomb," he snapped, "You blew that thing up in front of my dad's face. And you expect me to give you a second chance?"

Just then, a police officer charged into the shop. "What's all this?" he muttered as he tried to step out from the mess. He angled his flashlight up to see Yoshi in his struggle against a child. Immediately, he pulled out his firearm and pointed it in their direction. "Police, freeze! Put your hands in the air!" he yelled.

* * *

And with that, Yoshi and Milo both got arrested. What will happen to them at the police station? Will Yoshi be able to stand sitting next to the one that was responsible for wounding his father? And what will Yoshi's family and the Smashers do to get him out of this? Find out next time...


	3. The Underground World

Again, it was **Poet Bucky** and **I.K.A. Valian** who reviewed the last chapter. What you're about to see is a more evident "split" in Milo's personality. You're going to see the side of him that believes he had to have joined the street urchins and participated in illegal activities, and the other side that feels there is a different path and that he can be saved in another way (AKA by Yoshi). Keep this contrast in mind as you read this chapter.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

For the second time that day, Brendan and Ashley found themselves rushing to the police station. This time, it wasn't to update the Smashers on the condition of Yoshi Sr. but to bail out one of their own relatives. "Surely this must be a mistake," Ashley kept trying to convince herself, "he was with me earlier when I was closing down. All I did was to ask him to take out the trash, and he gets arrested?"

Hearing the worry in his wife's voice, Brendan tried to calm her down. "Don't worry, I'm sure Jack or whoever's in charge will give us an explanation," he soothed.

Upon reaching Jack's unit, Brendan immediately checked in with the secretary at the front desk. "We've been told that one of our relatives is being held here," he told her, "I'm his uncle, and I was wondering about the conditions for bailing him out."

"Slow down," the secretary replied, "we haven't laid any charges on your nephew yet. In fact, until the investigation into what he was doing in the alley is complete, we can't be releasing him, at least not for the moment."

"What? You can't be serious!" Brendan retorted, volume raising, "Why on earth are you planning to detain my nephew for that long? He never robbed that store!"

"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing I can do," the secretary explained, "the police has to follow its protocol in investigating, and I can only do what the officers say I can do."

Now it was Ashley's turn to calm her husband down, as Brendan began a tirade at the police station, demanding the release of his nephew. Officers looked on as the large dinosaur continued to cause a scene before the secretary. "His father, AKA my brother, has been blinded by a smoke bomb sent in by those street urchins! You should be going after those guys, not my nephew! Since when did the police become this incompetent?"

Finally, the yelling attracted the staff sergeant to come out and investigate, and he was none too pleased to see his friend and former baseball teammate ranting at the front desk. "Brendan, what's with the ruckus? We've got an important investigation in here, and we could appreciate a bit of peace and quiet, you know."

Brendan turned to face the source of the voice, and his eyes flashed in anger. "Jack, you're just the person I want to talk to," he hissed through his teeth, "what's the deal with your guy arresting Yoshi? Didn't you know we still have those street urchins to deal with? Why did you arrest my nephew, who has nothing to do with this?"

"Uh, not so fast," Jack held Brendan off, "you're right in the sense that those street urchins are involved, but Yoshi was somehow found with them. So it's only right that we bring him in for questioning. Please, let's talk at my desk." Jack led them in.

Brendan and Ashley followed their friend into the back of the unit, where the staff sergeant's office was located. As they strolled through, they saw a child being taken out of an interrogation room. One officer took the child into a back hallway, presumably into the prisoner's hold, while another officer approached Jack and handed him a file. He whispered something into Jack's ear, who merely nodded before sending him away. Brendan and Ashley only looked on in curiosity as they filed into Jack's office.

Jack took his seat behind his desk with Brendan and Ashley positioned before him. To avoid another shouting match, Ashley decided that she would do the speaking. "Jack, can you tell us why Yoshi has been arrested?" she asked.

"The arresting officer told me that he received a dispatch telling him of break-in at a store just outside your restaurant. Records from our phone records showed that it came from Yoshi's cell phone, so we believe Yoshi made the call," Jack explained, "the officer arrived at the store and found it's already been broken into. There was loot all over the ground, the shelves were ransacked, and few valuables were left."

"But why would Yoshi get arrested because of that? Yoshi didn't break into the store, so are you sure there's no mistake?" Ashley pleaded her case.

Jack shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll have to disagree. The arresting officer clearly saw two people wrestling on the ground when he went in, and those two people were a child and Yoshi. Seeing the fight, he had no choice but to bring them both in. In fact, we've just dealt with the child, although he's refusing to cooperate with our social services representative. We had to have one present since he's an orphan."

"Wait, an orphan? From the orphanage I donate to?" Brendan asked, in complete shock at the news, "Since when did those little guys start running away?"

"They've been escaping for quite a while now. In fact, this guy went missing from there a few years ago, and we're still trying to deal with how we can get him to go back there. He seems very afraid of what he'll get when he returns," Jack replied, preening through the folder. Turning back to the couple, he continued, "Our arresting officer also took Yoshi because he believed Yoshi and this youngster are both involved in looting. We'll be questioning Yoshi in a minute, and we'll know more by then."

This time, Brendan could not sit idle in his seat. "What? Are you implying that my nephew is behind this?" he demanded, shooting out of his seat, "That is preposterous, Jack! That is simply untrue! You've known me for twenty years and you know that's something I condemn! So how dare you accuse Yoshi, who I treat like my own son, of breaking in and looting a store? Unbelievable!"

"But that's why we must investigate him," Jack responded calmly, "I can assure you, Brendan, both as a police officer and your best friend for the last two decades, that the only way we can clear his name is to hear his testimony. We're doing this as fast as possible, and once we know of what happens, we'll inform you. Deal?" he offered. The two former baseball teammates were yin and yang right now, with Brendan showing anger and frustration, while Jack had a look of sincerity on his face. There was silence in the office as the strange staring match lingered on.

Finally, cooler heads would prevail as Jack and Ashley convinced Brendan to wait it out. Thanking his friend for his understanding, Jack recommended that they returned home and got some rest first. "It's been a hectic few days for you, and the last thing we want is a burn-out," he said, escorting them out of the unit.

"So when there's any news regarding Yoshi, make sure you call us, alright?" Ashley reminded Jack as they headed for their car. Waving goodbye to Jack, they pulled out of the police station parking lot and back onto the streets, heading into the night.

* * *

"And that's the entire story," Yoshi concluded. The interrogation went by faster than he expected, as all they asked for was his version of the events. Yoshi admitted that he probably left out some details, because he was so occupied with preventing the street urchins from running off that he doubted he saw everything, but otherwise he felt he told the events most honestly and to the best of his ability.

"So just let me get this straight," the interrogation officer asked. He was a balding man with glasses and a thin moustache, "you first called the police, and was originally to wait outside the store to lead the officer in. But you entered the store yourself to prevent them from escaping because you heard them say they'll attack a corner store?"

"Yes, they said they were doing something to the corner building. Since my uncle and aunt owned both corner buildings on the block, and my uncle's store was bombed the day before, I could only assume that they were targeting my aunt," Yoshi replied.

The officer nodded, scribbling down some notes. Yoshi glanced on nervously as the officer clutched the clipboard tightly, not letting Yoshi see what he was writing down. After a while, he set his pencil down and stared at Yoshi through those odd-looking glasses again. "Then, you said you tried to stop them with, and I quote, 'a wide set of moves known only to the Yoshi species, including but not limited to encasing one in a large egg and throwing weak egg bombs at them,' am I correct?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes. In fact, the kid you arrested along with me was originally encased by one. I was going to handle him until I got a bag shoved over my head and got beaten senseless by an older boy. It gave the kid enough time to crack the egg open, but then I launched an egg bomb and knocked him down, and that's when your guy arrived," Yoshi described, his eyes twitching in fatigue.

Again, more scribbling, which made Yoshi wonder if this cop understood any of his words at all, "You do realize you were putting yourself in a very dangerous spot back then," he muttered, "you could have destroyed valuable evidence in that fight."

"I was only worried about my personal safety, and I wasn't aware of any evidence at the time," Yoshi explained after taking another breath to calm himself, "besides, I'm not a member of the forensics team, so I can't comment on that. I realize I'm in enough trouble already."

"No argument there," the officer smugly replied. Yoshi had to bite his tongue just to refrain from snapping back at him. And he wondered why that little boy did not seem to have enjoyed the interrogation, when Yoshi saw him when he passed him by in the hallway coming in. Nevertheless, the officer had all the information he needed, and dismissed Yoshi from the interrogation room. "Once we have all the details, we should be letting you out. Until then, you'll have to spend the night here."

Yoshi nodded as two officers came and escorted him away. They just turned the corner back into the prisoner's hold area, where a bunch of people not in uniform were gathered next to where Yoshi was held earlier. Yoshi kept his eyes on the group of people as the officer's put him back into his hold, pressing his face through the side bars as he tried to get a better glimpse. From his position, he could see a few members of the police force, but the others seemed to be from another organization, probably governmental, given the ID's they wore around their necks. What's going on, he thought.

"It's not safe here, Milo. It's only right that you go back to the orphanage with us. Besides, you used to be there until you ran away three years ago, and the police has been following your case ever since," a woman in a light coloured jacket explained to the boy.

"No, I don't want to go back there!" the boy identified as Milo whined. From his cell, Yoshi could hear that it wasn't a typical bratty type of refusal; rather, there was a genuine sense of fear and apprehension in his voice.

"Milo, please be reasonable. Spending your days in this cell, or in the streets, is no way to grow for a child like you. We want you to be happy and well-adjusted, can't you see?" the woman pleaded. Yoshi guessed that she was probably from the orphanage, the very same one his uncle often donated to, and was determined to find out more.

But Milo would hold his ground, refusing to leave. The strange struggle between the frightened child and the orphanage representative dragged on, so much so that even the police had to call it off. "Maybe you can try coming again in the morning," one officer suggested to the representative, "or if you can find a temporary guardian for him until it gets sorted out. But until then, I doubt he'd budge." From his cell, Yoshi's eyes bulged in shock. Was there something about the orphanage behind the scenes that he didn't know about? Was this the dirty secret that his uncle never revealed?

Cooler heads would prevail as the orphanage staff moved off, while Milo was put back into his cell for the moment. The police departed for the night, with only the door guard on duty in the holding cell area. Sensing they were alone, Yoshi took a sideways glance at the boy in the adjacent cell. That sense of helplessness resonated from him again, as Yoshi could not see a cold-hearted bomber in the child. But nonetheless, Yoshi had his own set of questions for the boy, and was not willing to waste this opportunity.

Inching up to the adjacent cell, Yoshi banged on the bars. "Hey, you," Yoshi called, "come here. I want to talk to you."

The boy stared up again, his eyes clouded by fear. Yoshi probably guessed that he was still traumatized by the fight in which Yoshi employed his famous move set on him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Yoshi assured him, "I just want to talk."

The boy reluctantly moved forward, his eyes cast to the ground, not daring to stare at Yoshi. The young dinosaur tried to get as much of his face into the boy's line of vision before asking in a straightforward manner, "Why did you send the bomb?"

The youngster refused to look at Yoshi, which only made the dinosaur even more incensed. "Look, that was my father you just injured, and he's currently clinging to life and his eyesight in the hospital. You're an orphan, so you know what it's like to lose family. But when you openly take a family member from another person, then it's unforgiveable. So I suggest you talk, or we'll press charges against you on the spot!"

The child quivered and shivered, burying his face in his hands. After some heavy breathing, he finally spoke. "The bomb…was not meant…for your dad," he whispered.

Yoshi continued eyeing him suspiciously, pressing him to elaborate. "The bomb was actually for Brendan, your uncle," the boy continued, "It was…part of our leader's plans, to get rid of the orphanage's…biggest sponsor or something like that."

Yoshi growled as he heard the words. It seemed like the urchin was smearing Brendan more than pointing out his reasons. "That's a lie and you know it," Yoshi snapped, "Uncle Brendan had been a philanthropist for almost ten years, and making children's lives better has always been one of his goals."

"It's not the story I experience when I was there," the boy retorted, still quivering, "I had the worse time ever. It wasn't until I was outside when these guys from the street told me that they stayed there before, and how they'll let me join their group. They helped me escape from there, and that's how I finally got free. That was three years ago."

That story seemed to slow Yoshi's momentum, as he was no longer concerned with defending Brendan's honour. Rather, that story got him thinking about the events of the past day. Indeed, according to Link, all those who attacked the store were children, and even in the last break-in, it was young people who were involved. Was it possible that the escaped orphans have banded together to form an underground gang? "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name, and why'd you run away?" Yoshi inquired.

"Milo Sullivan, and I've been with the orphanage since I was seven. I've never been the biggest kid around, and the fact that I'm a bit of a loner didn't help either. The older kids just started picking on me, and…and I tried to work through it, but the staff at the orphanage didn't do much about it. They told me to just work thing through, and that everything will be better in the end, but…nothing ever seems to get better," he described, breaking down into sobs.

Yoshi rubbed his face. His uncle had told him that the orphanage was in a mess ten years ago, but he didn't realize that the problems lingered on even after all this time. "And that's why you ran away, because the other orphans convinced you," Yoshi replied.

"I had no choice," Milo hiccupped through his tears, "it's either being the little guy everyone picked on, or freedom. Since they offered me a new home, I didn't hesitate in taking off. I sneaked out, went to the gate where the others loosened the locks for me, and took off with them. And I've been with them ever since."

"So how many times did you flirt with breaking the law?" Yoshi pressed, "Just how many illegal activities did you and your so-called friends get into? And aside from my dad and uncle, how many people did you intend to kill?"

Milo's head shot up, letting Yoshi get a good look at his face for the first time since their fight. "No…no, it's never like that. I never intended to kill, or harm, or do anything bad to anyone! The bomb was not my idea, honest!" he pleaded with Yoshi.

But Yoshi would not relent, giving his death glare at the boy again. Even with his cuddly appearance, a Yoshi could be a scary sight should one make it angry, and this particular individual was no exception. Sensing he had no way out, Milo had to concede. "Look, how about I bring you to where we stay, and let you meet a few of the people. Maybe that'll get you to change your mind about me, alright?"

Again, Yoshi eyed him suspiciously. "You're going back to the orphanage tomorrow. How do you expect me to tag along?" he retorted.

* * *

"How many times are we going to try this before we give up?" a rather annoyed Cornerian fighter pilot grumbled as he followed his Hylian friend down the street. It was the second day in a row in which they were going back to the back alleys in trying to flush out the street urchins. Fox truly thought that with one boy arrested, and Yoshi being released today, that it would quell any of Link's determination of a crazy plan.

But giving up was not part of Link's vocabulary, as he was determined to deal with this matter once and for all. "Yoshi's discovery last night only gave us more clues as to what's going on," he told his vulpine friend, "and it's only right that we keep going. If I see Yoshi later on today, I'll definitely ask him about it."

Fox sighed and glanced sideways, and saw just the person they were talking about. Across the street the unmistakable green dinosaur, and oddly enough, he was headed in the opposite direction, away from his uncle's store and his aunt's restaurant. Fox kept his eyes on Yoshi while Link went on and on about wanting to redeem himself. It got to the point where Link was getting downright annoying, and Yoshi was about to turn the corner. "Hey Link, stop talking and turn around," Fox told his friend, his eyes still trained on Yoshi, "you might want to see this."

Link turned just in time to see the tip of Yoshi's tail disappearing around a building. The two Smashers stood on their side of the street and stared on, wondering where the young dinosaur was headed off to. "You said you wanted some answers from Yoshi on that street urchin he bunked with last night?" Fox asked, "now's your chance."

The two Smashers immediately made their way to the crosswalk, trotting across the busy road as the light was about to turn red. They continued their strange chase down the street, following Yoshi from a distance while dodging pedestrians like boulders off Death Mountain for Link, or asteroids in space for Fox. The bobbing and weaving around the crowd would continue until the two saw Yoshi step up to a large, old building at the end of the street. One glance and the two knew where he went: it was an orphanage.

Undaunted, the two stepped forward and followed Yoshi around the building. Oddly enough, Yoshi did not enter through the doors, but chose to go around to the back. "Didn't Jack say something about some of those street urchins being from the orphanage, and how they escaped throughout the years?" Link asked.

"Maybe the boy arrested along with Yoshi last night was part of this group, and Yoshi's going to the orphanage to speak with him," Fox mused, "although I find it weird that Yoshi would resort to such a sneaky method rather than go through the front door."

At last, they reached the back, and to their horror, Yoshi seemed to be committing another illegal act. He unlocked the back gate, letting a boy with dirty blond hair sneak out. He seemed a bit cleaner and his clothes tidier than before, but Link could recognize that it was the same boy he tackled in the alley during the bombing. "I still have his hat," he muttered, reaching into his pocket.

"You do realize that we're bordering on illegal activities," the two friends heard Yoshi tell the boy. It didn't hurt that both Link and Fox have rather sizeable ears, which allowed them to pick up sounds better than others. They glared at the boy as Yoshi took him in another direction, all the while hearing Yoshi say, "What guarantee do I have that you'll go back to the orphanage like you promised me last night?"

"I'll do everything you say, Yoshi," the boy replied as they turned into another alley. Link and Fox tailed them like predators hunting in the fields, stopping at where Yoshi and the boy were positioned earlier, "but I just want you to see the world through my eyes, and that requires going where you normally wouldn't go."

Some metal could be heard scrapping along the floor, sounding like someone dragging an anchor behind them when they walked. Link and Fox stuck their heads through the corner and saw the boy and Yoshi pull open a manhole, and to their shock, they gripped the ladder and climbed their way down. Within minutes, they disappeared from view, the voices muffled by the running water below.

* * *

Yoshi eased his way through the underground as he followed the lead of the small boy ahead of him. Milo did promise him that after today, Yoshi would understand the events and living conditions that brought about the bombing at the Yoshi Store. Yoshi was still unsure about this, realizing that Milo could very well be leading him into a trap, but unless he heard the other side of the story, he figured that he would probably never understand the events fully. So, taking the risk, he ventured into the world below.

And indeed, the darkness of the underground created a different atmosphere than what Yoshi was used to growing up. Yoshi's Island was a tropical, sunny place where the general mood of everyone was happiness or relaxation. There was rarely a worry in that world, and some of the most memorable moments of Yoshi's life were spent on that island. But here, it was dark, damp, and a sombre atmosphere, making even the most hardened people in society wanting to stay away. Yoshi truly wondered how anyone, let alone children, could grow up in such a condition. "So how long have you been down here? Were you down here during all three years?" he asked.

Milo sighed and nodded, the darkness and running water preventing Yoshi from seeing the movement of the head and the exasperated breathing. "This is where the others and I lived," he explained, "we were allowed to stay here and in exchange, we had to help make the world a better place for other orphans, and that's by taking out the orphanage."

"And whose crazy plan is that?" Yoshi asked as they turned a corner. The dark passages made it impossible for Yoshi to recognize the directions anymore, so the young dinosaur had to rely mostly on instinct. Milo was about to open the last door as Yoshi bombarded him with questions, "Who's been telling you to go bombing people and looting stores just to make things better for the kids at the orphanage?"

Milo didn't respond, but Yoshi could see from the change in body posture that it was a question Milo wasn't too keen on answering. "I'm not going to say anything bad about him," he slowly answered, his face turned away from Yoshi as he pulled the door open, "he can't be lying to me, since all these other orphans have been at the orphanage before, and they all say it's a bad place. Besides, he gave me this place to live, so…"

Yoshi sighed, shaking his head as the two entered the narrow passage. "Milo, you can't just blindly follow a guy just because he claims to offer you shelter and protection. If you look at living in the sewers compared to what you had before, can you genuinely say you're better off?" Yoshi countered. He was against this crazy leader Milo referred to, and if he ever saw the leader, Yoshi would be sure to give him a piece of his mind.

Milo again ignored Yoshi, but finally brought him into the open area. Yoshi's eyes nearly shot out of his head as he soaked in the sight before him. Many children of a variety of ages wandered before him, most in conditions filthier and messier than Milo's, and none of them had any trace of happiness on their faces. Milo stepped to the side as Yoshi moved in, amazed and appalled at the scene. "So this is…" he stuttered.

Milo nodded, those famous puppy dog eyes slightly watery as he explained, "Most are orphans, and they all came out from the orphanage when it was still in a mess. Most were here longer than me, and they all have bad memories of the orphanage."

Yoshi was still in shock, placing a hand on the side of his head as his breathing became quicker and shorter. Why would anyone subject themselves to a life of darkness and filth, and even giving up one's own rights to some mysterious leader just to escape the orphanage? Surely life there wasn't as bad as they claimed it was, was it? "What were their experiences like?" Yoshi asked apprehensively.

"I don't really know," Milo responded, scratching his head. The sad face now changed to one of confusion, as the boy seemed cornered by Yoshi's question, "I know when they came to get me, they told me about how they were treated terribly and the staff neglected them, but I've never heard them actually tell any specific stories."

Yoshi's expression turned from shock to disgust. "So you're willing to go with them just because they said something that you liked to hear? Milo, that's the worst way you can make a choice!" he exclaimed, waving his arms up and down.

"Yoshi, when you're in my shoes, you have no choice," Milo replied, looking at Yoshi with an exasperated expression, "the way my family went and the way my life was at the orphanage, I was surprised this didn't happen sooner."

Just then, there was a loud bang from behind them, sounding like a gun being fired. Yoshi and Milo turned just in time to see Link and Fox burst through the door they came through earlier. The two Smashers collapsed onto the ground, exhausted as they broke in. As they tried to catch their breaths, Yoshi approached and stood above them, his arms crossed and looking unimpressed. "What are you doing here?" he asked sternly.

Link and Fox looked up. "We thought you were heading into danger," Link told Yoshi, panting, "you were heading into the sewers with these guys and who knows whether you'd be attacked or not. So we had to follow you in."

"And how much of the conversations I had with Milo when we were making our way down did you hear?" Yoshi demanded.

* * *

"So that's your story," Link and Fox mulled over Milo's words as they left the area where the street urchins stayed. Milo guided them back to the surface where they gathered at a nearby park so he and Yoshi could fill the two Smashers in on the events. While they were discussing the issues, Milo also chose to reveal parts of his own life story to the Hylian and the vulpine, telling them of what happened to put him into an orphanage, and the events there that led him to taking up a life in the sewers.

"That's what you get when both your parents died," Milo said, wiping a tear from his eye, "I've lived with just my dad ever since my mom died trying to give birth to me. Dad tried to tell me that it wasn't my fault, and did everything possible to make my life comfortable. I helped him every now and then, but soon he became ill and lost his battle as well." He concluded.

Link, Fox and Yoshi were silent, still reeling from the sobering story. Milo had definitely been handed a poor hand in his life, but yet showed enough maturity to deal with a single family. Inside, the Smashers felt nothing but sympathy for him, and tried to convince themselves not to fault Milo for living a hard life. "It's similar to my life, I guess," Fox commented, his eyes focused on the concrete, "when Dad was ambushed by Andross after Pigma betrayed the team, all I had left was Peppy, and he was the fatherly figure for me. I realized I had to grow up faster than I wanted, or else I wasn't going to catch up with the world. And even today, I'm grateful for Peppy's actions."

"I could say the same for Saria when I was with the Kokiris, but I don't think we can compare ourselves to Milo. He never had anyone willing to adopt him after his father died," Link reminded his Cornerian friend, "those on his mom's side of the family kind of held a grudge against him. They never approved his mother marrying his father, and those on his dad's side weren't exactly in good enough economic situations to afford raising another child. The only choice is to go to a foster home."

Yet Yoshi still seemed a bit unsure of the rest of the story. "I don't get it though," he began, "my uncle made donations to the orphanage several years in a row, all because of the poor conditions at the orphanage that he started donating. So shouldn't things have been better by then?" he asked the boy, trying to sort out the inconsistency.

"I don't know about the events before I got there, but when I was there I was bullied constantly," Milo described another painful moment in his life's story, "It just got so bad after a couple of years that I really thought about running away, and when those guys you saw in the sewers gave me the chance, I took it."

Link clacked his tongue. "I wonder if Brendan is aware of this stuff?" he asked Fox and Yoshi, "Maybe he could have done more if he knew about it?"

Fox shrugged. "I think we should give Brendan some credit," he replied in a diplomatic fashion, "it's not like he isn't trying. But my question is why hasn't the staff been making changes if Brendan has been donating and helping out for years? Surely they have to turn things around, with increased funds and the warnings about meeting state regulations. Why were they so slow to act?" he wondered aloud.

Yoshi nodded. It was something he should probably confront Brendan with. After all, if children are suffering even after the efforts, then maybe Brendan probably did miss out of something even with his donations. "I'll ask Uncle tonight when I see him," he told the group, "knowing what Milo went through, we at least have a right to know."

With that, the group decided to depart, with Link and Fox going back to the Smashers and filling them in, while Yoshi dropped Milo off back at the orphanage. But before they left, the group made Milo promise them one thing. "Make sure you stay at the orphanage," Yoshi warned, "Those guys you were with earlier aren't offering a life that you should be choosing. Stay at the orphanage and let the police sort things out, okay?"

Milo seemed hesitant. It was obvious that the memories of the bullying still haunted him. His eyes were downcast, and his expression deflated as he murmured, "What if all that nasty stuff starts happening again? I don't think I can…"

But Yoshi cut him off, the dinosaur intent on making the youngster obey his words. Cupping Milo's chin, he made Milo look him in the eye. "I'm telling you right now, you have to stay at the orphanage. If you keep participating in illegal activities, I can't guarantee that I can help you again. Do you understand?" he asked sternly.

Reluctantly, Milo nodded his head, which allowed Yoshi to bring him away. But before they could go anywhere, Link came up to Milo and pulled out an old ball cap from his pocket. "You dropped this when I tackled you, so I thought I'd give it back. It's been completely washed, so it's clean enough to wear," Link placed the hat back on Milo's head before saying, "stay safe, alright? We'll help you in any way we can, I promise."

* * *

And throughout the entire evening, Milo could only mull over the words of Yoshi and his fellow Smashers: stay at the orphanage. It felt unusual that he had to stay at the same place he had such a miserable time with. But knowing that Yoshi had threatened to stop helping him should he break his promise, Milo was forced to give the orphanage a second chance. And as his first day there winded down, he began to have different ideas about the place. "Maybe it's not so bad," he thought out loud, "maybe it'll be fine."

And as he stood outside, taking in the cool breezes from the bay on this cloudless evening, two familiar figures approached him from outside the orphanage boundaries. The lack of lighting on the side area made it difficult to see who they were, as all Milo could make out were two silhouettes. But as they spoke to him, Milo recognized their voices in an instant. "Milo, the leader's wondering where you've been. What are you doing here back at the orphanage?" one of the people asked.

Milo's heart sank, as he realized it was those other kids that he invaded the store with last night. He had been told clearly by Yoshi that he was to stay at the orphanage, so he could be away from those he was with earlier. But he never expected them to approach the orphanage to seek him out. Sighing, he tried to stay true to his word. "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't leave. I promised Yoshi that I'd stay here so he can continue helping me."

The two older boys were in disbelief. How could Milo, the one they worked with all the time, be siding with the enemy? "You can't be serious," the boy that approached Milo first replied, "of all the people you're receiving help from, why the dinosaurs?"

Milo swallowed hard. He was at a crossroads again, where he was torn between those he "befriended" in the sewers, and the one who bothered to listen to his story. "I can't say why, but all I know is that Yoshi tried to listen to me, and convinced me that I should trust him. He nearly lost his own father when we sent the smoke bomb, so I know how he must have felt, and that's why I can't betray him now," he explained.

"And you're willing to betray our leader? He had us take you in, gave you a home, protected you all in exchange for your service, and you're willing to ditch him just like that? Who's the traitor now? I can't believe you, Milo!" the other boy spat.

But the first person spoke in a different tone. Instead of admonishing Milo, he tried to extend an olive branch. "Despite what the leader said about leaving those too incompetent behind to the police, he never really meant it," he assured Milo, "he was speaking in anger, and he actually does appreciate having someone as helpful as you around. He really values you, and does want you back. Won't you give him a chance?"

Milo was stumped. He still remembered the leader's last words to him: if you get caught, then it really means you're incompetent, and you really deserve to spend your life with the other lowlife beings, in jail. The leader was never known to be one to change his mind, so why now? He turned to the side, the light illuminating half his face and keeping the other side in the dark. He wondered what choice to make, as two sides tugged at him, pressuring him to choose in a way that would make him a villain in someone's eyes.

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. I know some people are expecting a bit more action or a quicker-pace, but I want to remind you that this is more of a drama story rather than action, so you might not see anything until later. But I promise you, there will be some action, so just stay tuned!


	4. The Other Side of the Story

Again, it was **Poet Bucky** and **I.K.A. Valian** with the reviews. Both sides mentioned something about Milo's character, and I've taken their comments to heart. From now on Milo will be a 12-year-old, not a 10-year-old. I just felt that by making him 12 (not 10) it'll make his situation more realistic. This has been fixed in all of the past chapters, so there's no confusing or inconsistency between chapters.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"Uncle Brendan, can I ask you something?" Yoshi was in the guest bedroom of Brendan and Ashley's house, and was preparing for bed when his uncle dropped in to check up on him. Seizing his chance, Yoshi decided to question Brendan on the issues regarding the orphanage he heard about from Milo, just before going to bed.

Brendan stood at the end of the bed. It reminded him of when Yoshi sometimes visited when he was younger. Brendan recalled he would stand near the end of the bed and talk to his nephew before he slept. It was with this gesture that the two developed a father-son bond, even though Yoshi had a similar bond with his real father, Yoshi Sr.

But this time, Brendan would be caught off guard by Yoshi's question. "Can you tell me about the orphanage?" he asked, "You know, the one you donate to all the time?"

"Sure, I can tell you about it. What do you want to know?" he replied, still wondering why his nephew asked the question.

Yoshi pushed himself to sit up, trying to be at the same eye level as his larger, genetically mutated uncle. "Is it true that, ten years ago, you decided to donate to the orphanage because you found out about the bad state of the orphanage? You decided to start your project by donating to them to give the kids a better life?" he began.

Brendan tried to cross his small arms, which looked more like he was hugging his chest. "I did recall saying that the orphanage was my new target, mainly because I felt the children would benefit more from my profits," he recalled, his mind in deep thought, "I was aware of their less-than-stellar records, and that's why I decided to donate to them. I truly wanted those kids to get a better life, and I was intent to make it happen."

Yoshi nodded. "But what happened between when you made your first donation to now? Were you aware of activities that were deemed harmful to the kids?" he asked.

Brendan closed his eyes, racking his brain as he tried to remember every detail. "From the first donation on, I know they've had a poor record, so much that I heard not long after, the state regulators issued them a warning. The director at the time promised me that changes would be made, and that my funds would not go to waste. I didn't pursue the issue any longer and just left the staff to handle the issue on their own," he answered.

"But you were aware that there had been escapes from the orphanage, right?" Yoshi continued interrogating Brendan, "You do realize that most of those street urchins may have come from that very orphanage that you've been funding."

"Uh, no, I wasn't aware of it," Brendan replied, his voice quivering. It was obvious to Yoshi that his uncle seemed quite uncomfortable on this issue as Brendan tried to work himself out of this mess, "in fact, when we went to the station last night, I heard the story for the first time from Jack, who told me that they've been running away for at least three to four years. I knew nothing about this until now, honest."

"Relax, Uncle Brendan, I'm not blaming you. I'm just trying to gather all sides of the story," Yoshi assured the Honorary Smasher, "things are getting more complicated than expected, and it's only right that we hear all sides say before we pass judgment."

Now it was Brendan's turn to be suspicious. "You said you wanted to hear every side. Just who is this 'other side' that you're mentioning?" he demanded.

Unlike Brendan, who seemed hesitant in revealing the past, Yoshi reacted with strength and authority as he explained his day. He told his uncle of how he met up with Milo after he was returned to the orphanage, and how he went to the sewers to view the underground world Milo lived in before. "What's more, Link and Fox followed me there and afterwards, we heard Milo's life story and how it put him in today's situation," Yoshi described, "the little guy did have a bad hand, so I can't say I blame him for all that's happened. I returned him to the orphanage, but I made him promise not to go back to the sewers or contact any of those guys who broke into the store again."

Brendan nodded apprehensively, his mind completely sobered from the story. "I always thought that what I was doing was actually helping the orphanage, but only now I realize that there's such a long way to go," he murmured, "I was too proud of my own efforts, and didn't realize my mistakes. That's something I'll have to live with."

Yoshi crawled out from under his covers and approached his uncle. Putting a hand on Brendan's shoulder, he said, "Nobody wanted it to happen, and changing the way an orphanage is run takes time as well. We can only blame those manipulating these kids for taking advantage of them during a time in need. We're all victims, and it's up to us to make things right again."

At this moment, uncle and nephew embraced, holding each other in a tight hug as they realized the rebirth that was happening before them. "I promise you," Brendan told Yoshi, "I will make things right again, and I'll do everything to save those kids."

As they released each other, Brendan made an offer to Yoshi. "You said you wanted to hear every side of the story, right? So why don't we go to the orphanage tomorrow and check up on your friend? Besides, I can also show you the progress that was made during the time, and see what may have been the source of frustration for those kids. Maybe your friend can be convinced that the orphanage isn't that bad of a place."

Yoshi smiled. "That seems like such an 'Uncle Brendan' thing to do, you know?" Yoshi always found his uncle as an optimist, always finding a way to come through. Whether it was school, or bullying, or baseball, or marrying Aunt Ashley, or even opening the Yoshi store, once Brendan had the determination, nothing could stop him. "Why not? Let's check up on Milo tomorrow, and let's convince him to keep fighting for another day. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

* * *

Uncle and nephew indeed followed through on their words, as they, along with Ashley were on their way to the orphanage early next morning. Yoshi made sure he called the Smashers from his cell phone informing them where he was, and told his friends to temporarily call off their investigation. "It's not worth it right now, not when we're still in the dark about so many details," he explained.

Yoshi put his cell phone away just as they reached the orphanage. Brendan and Ashley had a little spring in the step as they trotted up the walkway to the front door. Yoshi merely followed quietly, knowing that this was his uncle's chance to tell his side of the story, and perhaps convince Milo to stay. I sure hope he'll listen, he thought.

"Brendan, what a surprise," the clerk at the front desk greeted the large dinosaur, "I didn't expect you to visit today. And by the way, all the staff here heard about your store, and we're all really sorry about what happened."

"That's really kind of you, but I'm not here to talk about my store," Brendan replied, "I brought my nephew here to show him how the orphanage is doing today. He's interested in knowing how you guys turned things around after all the problems you've been facing ten years ago. Is it alright if he takes a look?" he asked.

The secretary told Brendan that she would check with the centre's director first. So while Brendan waited patiently at the desk, Ashley and Yoshi took a seat at the bench in the corner. Brendan seemed a bit out of his positive character, fretting and looking a bit uncomfortable while leaning against the desk, prompting Yoshi to ask his aunt, "Do you know anything about this orphanage and its so-called progress in the last ten years?"

Ashley sighed. It was evident that she probably knew something about the back-story to the orphanage as well, and knew of some negative connotations with it. "Your uncle made those donations because he felt the money could get the orphanage back on track. But actual change was harder to achieve than expected, and some rather not-so-memorable things occurred during this time," Ashley described to her nephew.

Yoshi looked intrigued. "What sort of not-so-memorable things happened? Did Uncle Brendan know about them, and what did he do to help fix them?" he demanded.

"He knew that some orphans were running away, but I don't recall him revealing too much of the back story to me. I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on, and was hoping to leave it in the hands of the staff, but then again..." Ashley trailed off, her head turning slowly towards the direction of her husband waiting anxiously at the desk.

Yoshi turned around as well, and saw his uncle looking insecure for the first time in his life. Throughout his life, Brendan had never been one with an insecure outlook, always persevering through the toughest of times. Even when his relationship with Ashley was on the rocks after a bitter argument before Spring Training over fifteen years back, they worked through it and became a couple again. Now, it seemed like a strange spell was cast on Brendan, as the large dinosaur was haunted by whatever mistake made by the orphanage in the last ten years, and it made Yoshi feel just as uncomfortable.

The clerk returned just in time to let Brendan into the orphanage, snapping aunt and nephew out of their train-of-thought as Brendan signalled for them to follow him. Yoshi and Ashley entered through the doors and into the back, into a large classroom of some sort. The children were gathered here at the moment, as Yoshi and Ashley took in the sight. Many of them were around school-age, and were seated in a formation similar to a regular classroom, being taught similar material as regular children.

"This is one of the programs that we developed within the last few years," the secretary explained, "when we were told that the orphanage was going through some major changes, one of the suggestions is to revamp our teaching of the children. This new curriculum is based on local schools, and is comparable that material, minus a few things here and there. Brendan's donations were crucial to the formation of this, I must say."

Yoshi and Ashley peered into the classroom and saw all the children focused on the instructor. "So outside of the changed teaching curriculum, what other goals were you meeting when the changes were suggested?" Yoshi asked, his face still pressed close to the window, trying to locate Milo in the room.

"We want to change the entire outlook for children who came here, so they don't feel like they're an outcast of society. And that means changing the way they stayed here, which ultimately is to give them a chance to rejoin society somewhere in the future, especially when they're to be adopted," the secretary described, "it took a lot of creative thinking and financial management to get it done. I was there for some administrative work, and I can honestly say it was a true team effort. Shall we continue?"

The secretary moved on to a different part of the orphanage, going to the area where the orphans stayed for the night. "This area went through a renovation of gigantic proportions when we were told that our original plans didn't meet state regulations. So when Brendan made his first donations, we put that into the funds for improving living conditions. By the time we had enough funds, we were well on our way to fixing things, and Brendan's donations made up a fair proportion of the money. Of course, some kids had to be moved to another foster home, but considering the long-term benefits, all of us here can genuinely say that the efforts paid off when the inspectors came back again."

Yoshi and Ashley nodded, appearing to be somewhat satisfied. But it did not stop Ashley from asking questions, as she sought to clear up some things her husband perhaps left out whenever they discussed this issue. "Regarding the issue of orphans running away, how was the overall security when these renovations or improvements were happening? And was there anything within the orphanage that perhaps didn't ease those feelings of the societal reject at this time?" she interrogated the secretary.

The secretary shifted her stance, leaning back and forth on her two feet. "Well, part of the extra funds, both from Brendan and the government did go to security, and the older parts of the orphanage did include exits and entrances," she replied sheepishly, "we did have to make some changes to the locks and such, but when so much renovation is going on, we can only do so much at once."

"In other words, it took some time to address the problem, which means there is a window of opportunity for those dissatisfied with their lives here to run away," Ashley concluded, looking unimpressed, "I can probably accept that point, but I want to know how this latest escape happened, the one involving Milo Sullivan from three years ago."

Again, more hesitation from the secretary, making Ashley tilt her head in an angle to get a better look at the expression on her face. "Well, that was the year that the orphanage lost some valuable staff. The director retired, and his supposed successor moved to a city on the east coast, leaving us with very little to work with. We had to put a committee together on hiring the next director, all the while trying to revamp policies to fit the new needs. I guess when that happened, we never paid attention to the security issues, and that ended up letting the little boy escaped," she explained helplessly.

At this time, Yoshi was completely disgusted with the story. His optimism from last night completely faded as his anger caused his normally innocent-looking face to flush red. "I don't know if this is just a comedy of errors, or pure incompetence, but you're talking about lives of innocent children here. How could you be so careless?" he demanded.

"I think you should put things into perspective, Yoshi," Brendan suggested, speaking for the first time since they were let in, "when things are going that badly, can we truly blame them completely? Everyone had to do their part, including myself."

"I'm not blaming you, Uncle Brendan. In fact, after hearing this story, I'm more than convinced that you should have helped. But to have your funds be prioritized in the wrong way and causing so many orphans grief, is absurd!" Yoshi insisted.

Just then, the children were let out of their class, saving the secretary from further receiving Yoshi's indignation. Excusing herself, she stepped out of the living quarters, leaving Yoshi and his relatives to stew in their own thoughts. As if in slow motion, the three gathered the thoughts, and slowly moved for the door, marching like as if they had been hypnotized. Finally, as all three exited the room, Brendan approached his nephew to set the record straight. "Instead of admonishing the staff, I think you have to understand why you're here. You want to convince Milo to stay and not go back to the sewers. But if all you're doing is pointing out and condemning their past errors, then what message are you sending Milo?"

"What the management did was wrong. It was cruel and unusual punishment for the kids, who are the true victims of bureaucratic blunders," Yoshi spat, "at the very least Milo should have a right to know about this."

"And what good would that do to Milo?" Ashley chimed in, "I fully admit that mistakes were made, and I'm very disappointed too. But in context of the entire decade, progress has been made, and the centre has been modernized. More work can be done, and you can bet your uncle and I will keep pushing. But to ensure that the kids continue to feel welcome here, we have to engage them, not insult them. You tell Milo about the horror stories, he'll leave in an instant; you tell him the progress made, he'll feel welcome. Now which option fits your objective best?"

Yoshi stared at his uncle and aunt in an exasperated manner. His eyes still flashed in anger, but his face showed helplessness more. Was it even possible to tell, at least in his mind, half-truths to Milo? And would that even ease the youngster's mind, that the orphanage did indeed have his best interests? Sighing, he realized he only had minutes to decide, as the children exited the class, and were on their way outside. Moving off, Yoshi followed them, in hopes of catching Milo before he left.

* * *

Meanwhile, at police headquarters, Staff Sergeant Jack Riley was in no mood to deal with any distractions. Taking long strides and climbing the stairs two steps at a time, the tall, dark-haired man hurried into the conference room, where his unit was assembled for their daily briefing, something that was not uncommon since Jack's promotion.

However, this meeting would be anything but normal, as some past research into both the smuggling rings and the orphanage allowed Jack to dig up some valuable clues into the current case. Slipping into the room, he gently closed the door behind him and moved to the front, clicking the overhead project and slapped a slide onto the screen. "Right now we have more clues as to who may be behind this scheme of using orphans as smugglers, and how this relates to the explosion at the Yoshi Store."

Moving to the screen, he pointed out the areas of interest to the unit. "The Yoshi Store was bombed two days ago, with eye witnesses accounts stating that it was a group of children who delivered the bomb. The next day, another store at the block was broken into, with more reports, including one from an officer on patrol, informing us that kids were present again. In fact, he arrested a Milo Sullivan that night, identified as a runaway from the orphanage three years ago. He's been returned since."

Jack switched the slide to another one, this one of more orphanage records. "I did some research work on my own, including having some officers check the orphanage's records. Indeed, every time that an orphan had gone missing, there had been mysterious visitors to the front desk that either required special attention, or caused certain mischief or mayhem that required security or police be called. From each departmental report it always indicated the same type of people: a young adult and several pre-teens. This leads me to believe that the same people distracted the staff while siphoning more orphans off."

Police members mumbled among themselves as Jack dropped the bombshell. So not only was the move to use orphans pre-meditated, but the forcing or aiding of children in leaving the orphanage was planned as well. Jack pulled out another slide, this time of the face of a heavyset man. "This is Barry Langston, who you're all familiar with," he explained, "he's been involved in smuggling within the Chinatown neighbourhood for the last decade. We haven't laid any charges on him because of a lack of evidence. But according to connections with other smuggling groups currently in custody, I believe that he's the one with the most control over this orphans business, although I doubt that he's the one that directly oversees the orphans on a daily basis."

Jack changed slides again, this time showing a young man, looking no older than early-twenties. "This is Lane Jackson, an orphan with said orphanage ten years ago. He went missing seven years ago, when he was sixteen and after spending three years at the orphanage. According to initial tests, it was found out that he have some psychological problems, and was really obsessed with 'controlling' people or 'forcing' others to do what he wanted. Because of this, he became quite a handful to the orphanage staff. When the funds began trickling in from various groups, but mainly Brendan, there was more staff to enforce policy, and indeed he was punished."

Again, more mumbling came from the officers as they took notes, as one officer raised his hand to ask, "How do we make a connection between these two guys, if there is one at all?"

Jack nodded. "I figured that someone would ask something like that, and the logic behind the connection is this: Jackson had been involved in petty crimes ever since his escape, and I believe that to sustain his life on the streets, he had to have turned to larger crimes like smuggling. What better way to do this than to meet with Langston, and form a loose alliance? Moreover, he's known to have manipulated many kids in the orphanage, so I won't be surprised if he pulled some of them out to do his deeds,"

Another officer raised her hand. "Let's say we're able to get Langston, in a raid or on a regular patrol, how do we get the evidence to fit your story? I doubt he'll reveal his smuggling mechanism to us openly, so we'll be stuck with letting him go again,"

Jack shook his head. "I doubt it, because we're cracking down on most of the smuggling rings in the area, meaning whatever sources the underground movement is getting are slowly being choked off. Under this scenario, Jackson will be forced to take other actions, such as breaking into nearby stores, just to get the money he needs. In that case, we should have him captured no problem," he explained.

The officers all mulled this option. It was worth a shot to cut off the supplies, since it could flush the movement above ground and make it easier for them to destroy the movement altogether. Many officers smiled, as finally, after all these years, there finally seemed to be an end in their continually frustrating case.

* * *

It was not an unusual sight for Milo Sullivan to be by himself, sitting in a corner or somewhere outside taking in some fresh air. Ever since he was arrested with Yoshi, he felt he might have a new lease on life. The breeze from the bay hit his face, as if the wind could blow away the problems of his past. It didn't hurt that Yoshi had met him earlier, and told him about the troubled past of the orphanage. Knowing that his uncle and aunt would continue to make things better, the twelve-year-old boy was convinced that Yoshi could be trusted and decided to give the place a second chance.

And as he leaned on the fence, reminiscing over his past, he wondered about all the should-have and could-have possibilities. What if he had not become an orphan? What if he stayed in his middle-class suburban family? What if he continued in school and experienced what it was like to be a regular student and made friends that lasted a lifetime? Yoshi did say that he believed Milo could go very far, but the decision to leave the orphanage and join the street gangs was what ultimately made things worse for him. Deep down, Milo truly felt that he was starting to trust Yoshi more than his street friends, or even the leader. "Yoshi's alright, he's okay," Milo reassured himself.

Suddenly, the familiar shuffling from the building's side sounded off again. Milo turned to the source of the voice, and despite not being able to see through the ink-dark pathway, he had an idea who it might be. "I know you're there, you know," he called.

Suddenly, the rustles abruptly halted, leaving Milo in the dead silence of the night. An originally unimpressed Milo now became suspicious, as he could have sworn that he had heard something before. Readjusting his ball cap, he slowly inched towards the direction of the sound, his famous puppy dog eyes turning into intense dark pools as he glared into the pathway. "Who's there?" he demanded. He leaned against the railing, staring straight into the darkness. It was like a huge black hole, engulfing every source of light around him, even with the street light just down the lane. Three years of living in the sewers gave Milo better hearing and night-vision abilities, but even then he could not be sure what was stalking him tonight, it made him feel very uncomfortable.

Then, like a tiger leaping out from the grasslands, a set of hands shot out from the darkness and grabbed Milo. The boy struggled to break free, trying to get back to the safety of the orphanage, but the assailant was too strong. The strong arms were wrapped around Milo's midsection, and the boy was pinned against the fence. Soon, another set of hands came out and made their way around Milo's right arm. The two sets of arms worked together, like two anacondas constricting their prey as they hoisted Milo over the fence and into the side alley. Any efforts by Milo to struggle against them were futile, as it only sapped his own energy, and made himself even more entangled into the mess.

Milo was running out of options as the people dragged him off, a mini-scuffle in the works as they pulled him away from the orphanage. His attempt to scream for help proved to be fruitless as the two bigger assailants pulled him to the ground, landing a few hits on the smaller boy. Once Milo was subdued and in great pain, they pulled out two long cloths: one acted as a blindfold across his eyes, and the other as a gag for his mouth.

Once that was done, they pulled out too long ropes, one to tie his hands together, and the other to tie his arms around his body. Soon enough, the now helpless Milo Sullivan was nothing more than a piece of heavy luggage, being hauled off to and stored on the right plane. The two people hoisted him about a foot off the ground, and carried him off into the night, with Milo having no clue where he was heading.

The bumpy ride would continue until they reached an alley. Milo could not see what was going on, but could hear the familiar scrapping sound of a manhole being opened. He sucked in his breath in fear as he realized what had happened: the kidnappers were from the sewers, and Milo figured that it must have been all the times he rejected going back under the consideration of giving Yoshi a chance. Butterflies flapped in his stomach as Milo fretted the possibility of having to be addressed by the leader again, this time as a traitor who supposedly sided with Yoshi's family, their long-time nemesis.

When he was released, he was right back to where he had spent the last three years of his life: in the sewers, at the centre meeting area whenever the leader assigned roles. Milo glanced around, only to see those that captured him scurry off. It left him alone and vulnerable, like he was some performing animal put in the middle of a circus ring. Although he could not see it clearly, he knew people were around gaping in shock.

"So, Milo Sullivan," that all too familiar voice called from above, "they finally managed to find you after your pathetic attempt to elude police," it snickered.

Milo lifted his head to see that famous silhouette on the platform above him. His former leader was behaving every bit like a circus ringleader, preparing to crack his whip at Milo whenever he did not do what he was told. "As if you weren't incompetent enough to be captured by the police, now you're going back to the orphanage? I'm disappointed in you, Milo, I truly expected more from you," the leader sneered.

"Hey, it's not my fault. Yoshi put me in an egg, then he threw an egg bomb at me, and then the police arrived. I really didn't know what to do!" Milo pled his case.

"And what did you say while you're at the police station?" one of the older boys demanded from the side. Milo recognized the voice, as it was one of the longest-tenured kids in the sewers. The teen did not relent as he pressed the smaller and younger Milo for answers, "So talk, did you become a squealer? Did you tell the police about us?"

"No, I didn't say anything, you got to believe me!" Milo exclaimed, leaning away from that direction. From Milo's point of view, the dim lighting on him put him into the spotlight like a dissection specimen, and the surrounding crowd was like the dissecting crew, ready to cut into Milo to reveal whatever secrets he was hiding.

"You claimed you never said anything, but yet you've been seen with Yoshi and his family. It's pretty hard to believe that you didn't switch sides," another teen from the opposite direction stated, "So what are you, Milo? Are you a squealer, or a traitor?"

Milo felt extremely squeezed as his former living mates closed in on him from all directions. The small boy tried to shift his balance, only to tangle his own feet up and collapsed onto the ground, laying almost completely on his back as everyone glared at him. "I suggest you get your story straight, Milo," the leader fumed from above, "I've known you for three years, and when we recruited you, you promised us you'd be with us to the end. So why did we find you siding with the Yoshi family?"

"I never said anything about you guys to Yoshi, honest," Milo insisted, "when we were at the police station, we talked about our families, and how I became an orphan. I showed him a bit about the sewers, and later he showed me his friends. That's all that happened, and I promise you I never did anything!"

"You told the enemy about your past, you showed him around the sewers, and in turn he revealed that information to his friends, who all have connections with the authorities," the leader listed off, "I don't think we can let that off the hook. If anything, what you said only proved that you're a traitor, and I have specific punishment for that."

Milo's eyes widened to the size of plates. He knew if there was one thing the leader did not take well to, it was traitors, and he shuddered to think what cruelty would be dished out to him. Thinking fast, he immediately ditched going on the defensive, and offered ideas to limit the damage instead. "I'll do anything you want," he suggested, "I'll stop hanging out with Yoshi. I'll help keep an eye out on things whenever you have your missions. But please, don't hurt me! I don't want to go through any more pain!" Milo was nearing a face down position, his voice quivering and his eyes close to tears.

The leader paused for a minute, leaving Milo in total fear. Every second felt like a year as Milo's heart pounded out of his ribcage. Although he never revealed it to Yoshi, the fact was that the leader and most of the older kids not only bullied, but actually beat him physically when he performed poorly. In reality, Milo would admit that he had his fair share of horror stories to tell regarding the life of a street urchin as well, but it was only a matter of what was worse: the sewers, or the orphanage.

Finally, the leader spoke, his body leaning near the railing. Milo's misty eyes could see his hands and parts of his front, but the face was still shrouded in darkness. "I have the perfect way to test your loyalty towards us," he proposed, his tone sinister, "as most of you already know, we're running out of funds, as most of the people we worked for have stopped coming back. I only have one or two 'customers' left, and that doesn't bode well for me to keep all of you around. Since we need money, and we have a case where our enemy is prying away one of our own, why don't we try this?"

* * *

"And that's what happened," Yoshi concluded as he put another chair up onto a table. He convinced his two good friends, Kirby and Pikachu, to ease up on criticizing Milo by telling the orphanage's situation during this time. Until now, Kirby and Pikachu had been the most persistent in bringing Milo and the street gang to justice, mainly because they were directly involved when the explosion happened, but also because they were the closest to Yoshi, and did not want to see any more harm done to his family.

"Wow, that's really sobering," Kirby replied as he put down some flattened cardboard boxes, "but I still have one concern though: what guarantee did Milo offer to stay in the orphanage and not go anywhere? You can't control his every move, right?"

"True, but I did make him promise that if he wanted any more help from me, he has to stay away from the sewers. He agreed the deal, and I trust him," Yoshi explained, "Milo's smarter than most people think, so give him credit."

"But I'm still uneasy about this alliance," Pikachu replied, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, "After all, if the other street urchins get their hands on Milo again, there's no telling what they'll do to him. I think it's risky either way."

"Yoshi, can you help me take out the trash again? I just have to make a call to Brendan before we leave," Ashley requested. Brendan had decided to visit Yoshi Sr. again in the hospital, and Ashley wanted to hear an update on his condition before they headed home. Since Kirby and Pikachu were willing to stick around, Ashley felt it might be best if they helped shut down the restaurant for the night.

Yoshi nodded and went into the kitchen to grab the garbage bags. It gave him an eerie sense of déjà vu, reminding him of the time he and Milo were arrested. It was also the first time that they had met, and little did Yoshi knew then that Milo was actually a victim, rather than the instigator, of their so-called battle. There's more to him than that meets the eye and I'm glad I didn't pass judgment that quickly, he thought.

But just like the night when he ran into Milo, there was that familiar rustling sound from the deeper parts of the alley. Yoshi was about to put the trash away when the strange shadows from that night returned, waving in the distance and taunting Yoshi's efforts to help his family. This could be dangerous, Yoshi thought, I don't feel safe being alone here, especially with that long and dark alley ahead.

Thinking quickly, Yoshi pretended to throw away the trash by opening the top of the dumpster. The loud creak echoed through the alley as Yoshi held the garbage bag near it. But instead of pushing them in, he pivoted off the step and sneaked back to the restaurant's back door. He slipped inside and called for Kirby and Pikachu to come out and help him. "Guys, I think something weird is happening," he told his friends.

The pink puffball and the electric rodent followed their dinosaur friend into the dark alley. Thanks to Pikachu's great hearing, he could pinpoint the source and location of the sounds. "We know you're back there," Pikachu called, "come out now!"

Instead of running away or turning back like the night Yoshi faced them, the street urchins marched forward to face the Smashers head on. "It's no secret what our mission is: we're invading your restaurant, taking your money, and shutting you three down. If you got the guts, then face us head on," the lead teen challenged.

"We have no choice," Kirby whispered to Yoshi and Pikachu, "if we want to defend the restaurant, we have to take a stand right here."

Yoshi nodded. Taking a step forward, he shouted back, "You don't know who you're messing with. We're the Smashers, the best fighters in every Nintendo universe, and we have more skills up our sleeves than you can imagine," he took a fighter stance as Kirby and Pikachu stood to his each side, "you want to take down my aunt's restaurant, then get through us three first." The threesome stood their ground, refusing to budge.

But the street urchins were unfazed by their move. The lead teen stepped up to them defiantly and called, "I think you might want to see what our secret weapon is, especially the dinosaur," he pointed a long finger at Yoshi.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the other street urchins behind him parted, revealing an all-too-familiar face. There, standing behind them, in his trademark ball cap, his open-fingered gloves, and his newer clothes from the orphanage, was the same boy that made the deal with Yoshi. "Milo, no," Yoshi gasped, "what are you doing there?"

* * *

So what do you think this is? Is it a true betrayal? Did Milo truly return to the street urchins? Or did his former leader do more than that meets the eye? Only reading the next chapter will these questions will be answered...


	5. New and Explicit Revelations

And we're back with another chapter. I want to thank **Poet Bucky **and **I.K.A. Valian **for their very detailed and helpful reviews, and this chapter I'll seek to address some of those issues you guys raised. This chapter took longer than expected to write, not just because of my busy schedule, but because there are a lot of elements in here. You get fighting actions from the Smashers, a gunfight scene from Jack, Milo taking a stand against the other street urchins, and the Smashers questioning the background of this underground group.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"Milo, no, why are you there?" Yoshi gasped as they stared across the alley. The three Smashers were prepared to defend Ashley's restaurant from being invaded by the street urchins when suddenly, they pulled Milo out of nowhere. Now, all of Yoshi's plans were up in smoke as he might be forced to fight the one he saved and bonded with earlier.

"You have no choice, Yoshi," the lead teen called, pointing defiantly at the green dinosaur, "we're not backing down, and Milo will invade with us. You want to fight, then you fight us all. If not, then kindly get out of our way."

Yoshi's expression changed from determined to nervous. After getting to know Milo and having him gaining his trust, Yoshi was reluctant to fight the street urchins, especially with Milo in the crowd. Moreover, Milo had promised him that he would stay at the orphanage, and Yoshi truly believed that Milo would live up to his word. So why was he with the gang right now? "Milo didn't lie to me," Yoshi murmured to himself, "he couldn't have, after all that we went through. He couldn't have gone back, could he?"

But regardless of the outcome, the three younger and smaller Smashers must defend the fort against the invasion. The two sides continued their strange staring match, with neither group making the first move. Knowing There was complete silence in the alley, with the only sound coming from the wind cutting through the middle portion, where there was nobody standing. The darkness engulfing them only added to the tension as they faced off, with many of them realizing this could be the battle of their lives.

The soundless environment was shattered as one street urchin made a beeline for the restaurant's back door. Pikachu, with his great hearing, noticed the youngster and powered up with a Skull Bash attack. Launching himself through the air, the yellow rodent slammed his head into the intruder's midsection, pinning him against the wall. The two collapsed onto the concrete, a mere few feet away from the back door.

But that move turned out to be a disaster, Pikachu effectively neutralized himself. Using sheer numbers, the urchins shot their way across the alley like a herd of stampeding cattle, aiming right at Kirby and Yoshi. The shorter Smashers dodged and ducked to avoid getting trampled. As they weaved around them, the leader of the group moved up to Yoshi and aimed a right hook at Yoshi, clocking him straight in the jaw. "That's for ruining our lives," he snarled.

Yoshi lost balance for a while and staggered out of the way, leaving the route wide open for the urchins to blast through the back door. Thinking quickly, Kirby jumped forward with a Final Cutter, slicing through the group and knocking them all to their feet. That gave enough time for Yoshi to regain his position as he stepped up next to Kirby, while Pikachu trotted back in from the door. "We have to split up, there's too many of them and not enough of us," Kirby proposed, "Pikachu and I will take on the urchins. I'll do those on the left and he'll do those on the right. Yoshi, you guard the door, and put anyone getting too close in an egg."

The battle soon raged on as the street urchins took on the best fighters in the universe. Despite the leader's bold attempts, it was not a pretty sight for the children of the underground, as Kirby and Pikachu kept most of them at bay. In fact, it was only the sheer number of attackers that kept this match at a somewhat level playing field. "Keep at it, it won't be long before they back down," Kirby shouted to his two friends, swinging his hammer around and blowing a couple of boys backward.

"Hey Yoshi, air out a couple of egg bombs and disperse this crowd!" Pikachu called from his position as he let out weak electric currents at people's feet. The yellow mouse created a small electric field around him and prevented anyone from coming near.

From his position at the door, Yoshi got into a crouched stance. Producing a few eggs, he placed them onto the ground, and aimed at the crowd one by one. Turning to those closest to him, Yoshi launched the egg in the direction. The oval-shaped object exploded in the air, sounding like popcorn being prepared at a cinema. The street urchins screamed and ducked in fear as Yoshi continued the assault, hurling egg after egg like an aerial battle from World War II. Within minutes, the crowd was on the retreat, being beaten back into the alley by the threesome.

But there was still one thing that bothered Yoshi, and that was the presence of Milo Sullivan with the group. Why would Milo break his word to everyone by returning to the sewers? Had Yoshi not truly gained his trust, enough that he would stay at the orphanage and not pursue illegal activities? The image of the promise Milo made before Link, Fox and Yoshi refused to leave the young dinosaur's mind, so much so that he did not notice a smaller figure approach the door. "Yoshi, stop!" the figure shouted.

Yoshi snapped out of his trance and whipped his head in the direction of the voice. Indeed, the same boy he was thinking about earlier now stood right before him, with those famous puppy dog eyes staring right through Yoshi. "Please, stop the fight, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt," Milo pleaded with Yoshi.

Again, the caring expression gave way to anger as Yoshi knocked the boy down. He pressed a hand on Milo's chest and a knee on his stomach, pinning him straight to the floor as he stared daggers into Milo. "You promised me to stay at the orphanage and away from the street urchins. So why aren't you living up to your end of the deal?" he spat, using every ounce of energy to stop himself from punching Milo's lights out.

"Please, give me a chance. It's not what it looks like, I had nothing to do with it, honest!" Milo pleaded, raising his hands to protect his face should Yoshi strike.

"It's not what it looks like? Then what is this?" Yoshi demanded, amidst the sounds of fighting. Kirby and Pikachu held their own in the back, the street urchins all exhausted from having to fight two small but powerful Smashers, "You heard your leader: he wants to strip the restaurant bare. It sure seems like an all-out assault at my family to me. And I find it a big coincidence that you're involved. If that's not breaking a promise, then I don't know what it is."

"Please, I had no choice. I really didn't want to be here," Milo blubbered, "You got to believe me. I really didn't want to do this."

"Right, and you're telling me all these orphans have stories involving tragic pasts they couldn't escape from," Yoshi retorted, unimpressed at the boy, "you're lying through your teeth, Milo. So be honest, why in the name of all things sacred did you break your promise to me? And no lies!"

Just then, the back door creaked open, and the all-too-familiar face of Yoshi's aunt Ashley stuck out. "What's going on here? I heard a lot of noise and sounds of people fighting…" she began, her eyes darting around to check for carnage.

Just as Yoshi was distracted by the presence of his aunt, Milo managed to wiggle free from Yoshi's grasp. Immediately, he charged into the fray, frantically waving his arms and trying to stop the fight. "Stop, no more!" he shouted, pulling people from the ground after the damage done by the three Smashers.

But Yoshi was undaunted, as he was determined to get to the bottom of Milo's story. "There's something awfully suspicious about this," he muttered to his aunt, "There might be more to it than that meets the eye."

"I say take them all if we can," Ashley proposed, "the more we get out of them, the better. Don't forget that I can put people into eggs too, and thanks to my genetically mutated abilities, the eggs are larger and stronger, meaning they can't break out as easily. Put Kirby's suction in and have Pikachu do Thunder Wave to paralyze them, and we're all good. Shall we?" Ashley asked, winking at her nephew.

Yoshi smiled, and immediately he proceeded to taking action. He aimed one of his remaining egg bombs into the crowd and threw it right at the centre. The explosion rocked everyone and threw them to the ground. Immediately, Ashley bolted in and shot her tongue out, swallowing as many of the street urchins as possible. When she was all done, a series of eggs were laid into the ground, each larger and sturdier than the ones Yoshi usually laid. "Now how about getting your friends to help?" Ashley asked as she rolled the eggs to the direction of the back door.

Yoshi nodded. He turned to Kirby and Pikachu and relayed Ashley's message. Instantly, they took action on the street urchins, with Pikachu aiming his electric field at the kids and paralyzing them along the way. Kirby, meanwhile, worked out a cooperation scheme with Yoshi where he would swallow the urchins and spat them at Yoshi, who then encased them into eggs. Pretty soon, they had everyone rounded up and pushed through the back door of the restaurant. "Can you watch over them for me?" Ashley asked, "I have to call Brendan and your friends. I think these guys may have some info that everyone would like to hear."

* * *

A different battle was taking place on the other side of town. Police forces were gathered outside the Dogpatch district near the bay. What used to be a large warehouse district was now a renewed neighbourhood, with loft-style condos and retail businesses. So Jack found it odd that there was a large-scale police operation in the neighbourhood. "Say the address again, please," he requested as he drove towards his destination.

But his team repeated the same address, which was located in said district. Soon, the staff sergeant found himself in a strategy session with the SWAT team, discussing the tactics to be used for the invasion. Knowing that they would attack a target that was crucial to the outcome of Jack's case, the SWAT leader made sure to go over things with him first. "We have a potential smuggling activity here tonight. We expect the smugglers to sneak the goods onto a boat on the dock," the leader explained, "We're hoping to catch them off guard by attacking as they move the goods into the open. Your orders?"

Jack nodded. "First of all, I need to know that we have the right target. Is Barry Langston, by any chance, among the group?" he asked.

"We believe so, since everything our informants are telling us points to Langston and his group. We're not sure what the goods may be, but we know they have quite a load in there," the SWAT team leader replied.

Jack then turned to his team and deliberated on the details. After an agreement with the SWAT team, it was decided that SWAT would lead the way and disrupt the operation as the goods were carried out into the open. Once the smugglers were disarmed, then Jack's unit would go in for the arrests. "This could be our chance to take out a major component of the smuggling ring, so nobody slip up, okay?" Jack told his team.

The teams hurried into their positions as they waited for their target to slip out from the older buildings. The SWAT leader waved his hands in the air and pointed them to several directions, and full-armored members marched through the streets, their boots clopping onto the concrete floor like a drum. Jack pressed his back against the bricks of the closest building, behind a wall of SWAT members. The rough, uneven surface scratched into his uniform like sandpaper, and the cool wind breeze coming from the bay area did not make him feel any more comfortable as they waited for their target.

Suddenly, the radio on his belt fizzled to life, as amidst the static, Jack could hear very clearly the voice of the SWAT team leader. "Target is approaching, prepare for the attack, and make sure the goods are not harmed," he ordered.

The SWAT members all marched off to the pier, trying to decipher which boat the goods were headed to. Now it was Jack's turn to frantically give orders to his team. Since they were the followers, they must be in position to see the SWAT team attack, all the while staying a safe distance away. "Group 1, I want you at the end of the pier, and watch for any escapes coming your way. Do not approach until further notice. Group 2, stay with your SWAT members but let them proceed first. Only go forth to make the arrests when they clear the way. Group 3, you guys prepare to raid the boat when the SWAT team goes in. Make sure you get all the goods out here. I'll stand outside with SWAT and provide covering fire for you guys," Jack listed off the duties of each group.

As each group headed for their positions, Jack rejoined his SWAT members and spied on the smugglers from a distance. In the dark, a few silhouettes carrying boxes of various sizes trudged their way onto the pier, with who knew what valuables being stored in them. Langston was known to be an opportunist, tackling any sort of gadgets or goods he could get his hands on. Because of this unpredictability, Jack often found it difficult to locate where he would go or identify what he would do each time. But knowing he had the best lead ever, he was determined not to let this case sink.

Which brought another issue into his mind: it was the presence of orphans and street urchins into the smuggling business. It had been shown that they were somehow involved, either as part of the smuggling plan or as intermediate go-betweens where the goods could be stored temporarily. Making things worse was the fact that these street urchins became bolder; whether under the orders from Lane Jackson or acting in their own will, they chose to harm another soul by bombing the Yoshi Store and looting the surrounding shops. One way or another, Jack could only hope that by making this arrest, he could gain more insight into the events and put an end to them once and for all.

"SWAT members, prepare for the attack," the SWAT leader radioed in from the frontlines. That snapped Jack's attention back to the pier, as the smugglers had all their goods gathered and were prepared to load them onto the correct boat. Jack could see the wavy shadows in the distance as the SWAT team honed in on them. Jack held his breath as they advanced on the smugglers. With every step, they inched closer to their targets, like lions hunting in the savannah. The smugglers seemed to be oblivious to the SWAT team lurking in the distance, with some speaking on their cell phones. Jack could not hear the words being said, but guessed it was probably informing Langston of their arrival.

Then, just as they received instructions to board the boat, the SWAT team made their move. Charging in with their guns drawn, they shouted, "Police, we have you surrounded! Drop you items, step away from the dock and put your hands in the air!"

Immediately, bullets zinged through the air, with shots fired by both sides as the smugglers tried to cast away or destroy their goods, hoping to eliminate the evidence. They raced to the dock and tried to throw the boxes overboard, but were caught by Jack, who unleashed a couple shots of his own. "Get some people into the warehouse, who knows what might be happening in there?" he shouted to the SWAT leader.

The SWAT leader complied and grabbed his radio, ordering another group of SWAT members into the old warehouse. Accomplices of the group were waited inside with the remaining goods as well, and were caught off guard as the SWAT team broke down their door. "Everybody step away from their items!" the SWAT member shouted, pointing their weapons at the group. Seeing the danger, some tried to escape through the back with the goods, causing some on the SWAT team to give chase.

The gun battle raged on outside as the SWAT team and Jack's unit tried to keep the smugglers at bay. With their formation of a semi-circle, and the bay next to them, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the smugglers to sneak out without jumping into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay. "Keep an eye out for anyone coming down to the waterfront," Jack warned his unit, "they might just discard more items into the water,"

Just as this was said, a group came charging down with bags and boxes in hand. Whipping out their guns, they tried to catch police off guard by firing into the unit, blasting through so they could jump into the waiting boat. Officers were hit as the smugglers barged through, their beacon of hope in sight as they prepared to board their vessel. Seeing the escape plan, Jack regrouped his unit and tried calling the occupied SWAT team, hoping they would help them. "They're trying to escape," he yelled.

Unfortunately, the SWAT team was too busy dealing with the smugglers from the warehouse to help Jack, leaving the staff sergeant and his unit isolated. Gritting his teeth, Jack decided to spring into action. Using the speed that made him a baseball star with Brendan, Jack ploughed through the smugglers and tackled one in the middle, cutting off half the group and leaving them with their goods on the shore. His officers arrived just in time to disarm them, leaving Jack to deal with the waiting boat.

Jack raced onto the dock and parked himself right onto the loading vessel. One smuggler tried to stop Jack, but the former baseball player used his arm strength and wrestled him away. He elbowed and punched the smuggler, leaving him on the ground as Jack stepped onto the entrance of the boat. Standing his ground, Jack fired a shot into the hull and demanded the group surrendered. "You're weaponless and surrounded, might as well give up," he stated. Despite not being able to see any faces, Jack was certain that there were multiple people in there, and they all had items of interest on board.

"Board the vessel, make sure they don't escape," Jack commanded to his unit and incoming SWAT members as he trotted out of the boat. He marked the boat of interest by stepping back out onto the pier and putting one foot onto the haul, pointing his gun at the front window while the SWAT team marched on. Jack craned his neck as people from inside were marched out, all with their hands raised. Jack relaxed his stance as the last person was pushed out, the very man he was targeting this operation. "Barry Langston, you think you can escape?" he sneered as he put his gun back onto his belt.

* * *

"What's the important revelation?" Brendan and the Smashers gathered outside of the kitchen doors. Brendan was at the hospital when Mario and Samus also showed up, wanting to visit Yoshi Sr. The other Smashers were back at the hotel when Ashley called everyone up to meet her at the restaurant, citing "a major, pressing issue was at hand."

Ashley had a strange expression on her face that bordered between fuming and smiling in victory. Her eyes scanned the group before her like a security camera, ensuring that everyone was present, before opening the kitchen door and summoning Yoshi and friends. "Let's show everyone, bring them out," she called.

Brendan and the Smashers gazed on in anxiety as the doors slowly opened. Like a new invention being revealed, the dim lights were cast onto the make-shift runway as the crowd waited for the "revelation" to be paraded out. Seconds seemed like years as finally, they saw the familiar figure of Yoshi striding through the doors. "Everyone, we have not just one, but several street urchins invading us. Milo happened to be with them, so Kirby, Pikachu and I decided to bring them all in and let them tell their story first. We'll decide on our next course of action after that."

As this was announced, Kirby and Pikachu marched out several street urchins, sending them out to the restaurant one by one. Brendan and the Smashers could only look on in shock as the children were moved out like prisoners, put before them like a public shaming activity. Kirby and Pikachu stood on each side of the group, keeping an eye on them to ensure that they did not escape. And to top it all off, an all-too-familiar face, especially to a certain fighter pilot and a Hylian hero, was positioned near the end.

But the person in the most shock was Brendan. After an explosion that rocked his store just days ago, now it was his wife who was attacked. Surprise soon gave way to anger as the large dinosaur lumbered up towards them. "So start talking," he seethed, "I want to know everything. Why did you attack? Who sent you?"

None of the street urchins dared to respond. After the humiliating defeat at the hands of the three smaller Smashers, they were too afraid to speak out against the older and more experienced ones, especially one as large as Brendan. They kept their eyes on the floor, remaining totally silent and hoping Brendan would leave the issue alone. But the genetically mutated Yoshi was not about to relent that easily. "You don't give me the info, that's fine," he continued, "then you can give it at the police station."

That only caused the hardened determination they used to have during the battle outside to give way to fear, as the façade disappeared to expose fear and insecurity from them. Seeing that they were getting nowhere, the Smashers decided to intervene. "I don't think threatening them would be any good," Mario said, putting a hand on Brendan's shoulder, "we should give them a chance to explain without making them more worried."

"Yoshi, I think you should do something," Samus suggested, "you've met one of them, so can you ask him to convince the others to talk?"

Yoshi glanced at the boy at the end. Unlike the others, who were downright scared, Milo had a guilty expression on his face. Yoshi decided to reassure his friend to make him feel more comfortable. "I'm not going to judge you," he told the youngster, "but if you want your names cleared, you better start talking."

Milo lifted his head and glanced into Yoshi's face, the famous puppy dog eyes at work again. Yoshi could see so much uncertainty in Milo, knowing that this would be the first time ever that he revealed his former accomplices. "You know me, Milo. I've never lied to you, and I'm always willing to help you," Yoshi said soothingly.

Milo hesitantly nodded, realizing that this was only the right thing to do. Turning to the street urchins, he announced, "I know both Yoshi and his family very well, and they're going to help us. So please, everyone just tell them what you've been through."

That was a bombshell to the group, who didn't expect that one of their own would be asking them to reveal information. "Milo, are you serious? They're playing for the other team!" one person exclaimed, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"You can't have us tell them anything. What would the leader think?" another person shouted, "If we squeal now, we can't go back ever again!"

But the most negative response came from the oldest member of the group, the supposed leader of this operation. Stepping out of his position, the teen moved up to the shorter Milo and glared at him. "So this is it, you're showing your true colours," he snarled, "I should have known better than to trust a traitor like you."

Instead of flinching, Milo stood up to the older boy. "No, our leader never trusted me, but I doubt he trusted any of us. How many times did he actually listen to us? How many times did he actually talk to us like we're normal? The answer is zero," Milo was getting revved up, as he paced back and forth before the line of urchins, "when Yoshi and the Smashers actually caught me, they gave me a chance to tell them my story, and came up with solutions to my problems. I trust them on this more than I trust anyone else."

The teen glanced at all the other children, who seemed uncommitted to either side of the debate. Knowing that Milo had scored a few points, he tried to sway their support back to him again. "I've been with our leader since the first day, and he said clearly that he'll support all of us. Now he's in trouble and all you do is jump ship?" he retorted.

Here, Yoshi had heard enough. Marching up to the teen, he stood him up and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Now look here, I'm sick and tired of hearing you bullying these kids around. You call living in the sewers supporting orphans? You call making them engage in illegal activities supporting orphans? You call physical and verbal abuse supporting orphans? You may claim to be a supporter of orphans, but I say you have a long way to go before you'll be remembered the same way my uncle is!"

"I sneaked down to the sewers with Fox, and I saw the conditions. That's no way for anyone, let alone orphans, to live," Link added, stepping up to the teen, "I don't know what the leader has said to you, but that's wrong. Using defenceless orphans for personal gain is not helping them."

"You claim the orphanage made life difficult for everyone, and that you and your leader are freeing the kids from that nasty place. But have you heard of the progress being made to better the place?" Fox chimed in, "Brendan actually took Yoshi to the orphanage to see the improved conditions, and Yoshi relayed that to Milo and us. But in your blind attempt to get revenge, you made everyone worse off. You just hope none of these kids are scarred for life thanks to your crazy plans."

Yoshi glanced at his friends, a thankful expression on his face as he appreciated all their help. Turning back to the teenager, he warned, "If you stand by your words, and are truly intent on helping orphans, then I suggest you start talking. Even if you don't, at least let everyone else have a say. I can play this all the way to the police if you want."

* * *

Yoshi was not the only person cross-examining a suspect, as Jack and his unit were involved in the same thing. After the raid by the SWAT team, Jack's unit had the catch of the day as they brought back the ringleader of the smuggling group to the station. Seeking to get the truth from him, Jack had his officers overwhelm Langston with evidence, trying to squeeze any information out of him. "Facts don't lie, so if you keep at it, there'll be cracks in his armour real soon," he instructed the interrogation team.

But the move turned out to be less effective than previously imagined, as there was nothing in the records to link Langston to most of the smuggled goods. Even with those that were present, the links were spotty at best. With the current situation, there was nothing that could bring about the "big hitting" charges that Jack kept referring to. "This is looking bad, Sarge," one officer whispered to Jack as they observed the interrogation.

Suddenly, another officer barged in. "Phone call for Sergeant Riley, they say it's urgent," he reported, "It has something to do with the explosion at the Yoshi Store case."

Jack had a strange expression on his face. Now was not a good time to be away from the interrogation room, especially when Langston was being cornered from every side. Nevertheless, the Yoshi Store case was also one that his unit followed, so he felt it was only right that he fielded the call. Telling his officer to continuing observing, he marched to the front desk and picked up the phone. "I'm on a case right now, so whatever info you have, make it quick," he snapped, voicing his displeasure at the disturbance.

"Jack, it's Brendan, this is really important," the police officer heard his friend and former teammate announce on the other line, "my wife's store was invaded by more street urchins, and we managed to get them to talk. Some of them revealed what they're doing, and it had to do with smuggling of some sort, at least that's our interpretation."

Jack's eyes grew to the size of saucers. This might be the breakthrough he required. "Where are they now? Are they still gathered at the restaurant?" he demanded, "You got to tell me what you heard, Brendan, because the success of our case hinges on this."

"They're all here right now, with Yoshi and the other Smashers," Brendan replied, "One of the kids, Milo Sullivan, convinced the others to talk to us, and it worked miracles. If you can send officers to record their testimonies, you'll get what you want."

A smile slowly crept across Jack's face. "Brendan, you just made my day. What will I ever do without you?" he replied gratefully, "I'll send a couple of units down to the restaurant right now. But before I do that, just tell me: isn't Milo supposed to be back at the orphanage? Why's he with you at the restaurant?"

"We've been told that Milo was taken out of the orphanage against his will. These kids seem to be in a hypnotized state of some sort, being bombarded too constantly with propaganda about how their great leader is making orphans' lives better by taking them from the orphanage and joining him on his quest. It's a good thing that Yoshi convinced Milo otherwise," Brendan explained, " Milo promised that once he's done here, he'd return to the orphanage and stay there."

Jack sighed in relief. "Alright, I'm glad to know things are going alright with you. With so many street urchins, it'll be a long night for me. Not to mention that I have to call up social services to bring them to the orphanage tomorrow," he described.

After thanking his dinosaur friend, Jack marched back to the unit lounge, where most of the officers were gathered. "I want two or three units to go down to the Yoshi Restaurant. The Smashers captured a bunch of street urchins trying to invade, and some have info leading to our smuggling case. Go get their testimonies, and come back as soon as possible." He ordered.

As the officers hurried into their cruisers, Jack trotted back to the interrogation room, where the young officer he was with earlier was still present, observing the so far fruitless grilling. "How's it going so far?" Jack asked as he slipped in.

"Not well," the officer responded in a sombre mood, "we can't hold a candle to him right now, not without a direct link between his smuggling and the goods."

Jack nodded, trying to remain expressionless. Inside, he was actually jumping for joy as help was on the way. "Can you try to get our interrogation team to stall for maybe another hour?" he asked, "I assure you this move will work out."

The young man glanced sideways at his superior, unsure of what Jack meant. But Jack insisted on the move, promising him that it would pay off. Reluctantly obeying the staff sergeant, the young officer relayed the message to the interrogation team.

"I want your names and your ages as you check into the cruisers," the lead officer stated as the urchins were lined up for inspection. Brendan and Ashley offered to drive Milo down to the station to give a testimony while the others were handled by the police. As they prepared to go further into the downtown district, the Smashers took the time to discuss the issues of the night before they headed back to their hotel, while offering to wait for a taxi cab to take Yoshi back to Brendan's home.

* * *

"Well? What's everybody's call on this?" Yoshi asked as they gathered outside the now-closed restaurant, "I doubt it that they came up with that attack all on their own."

"I don't think we should underestimate those kids," Kirby said to his best friend, "They've lived in the sewers for all those years, so who knows what secrets they have up their sleeves?"

Link however, shook his head. "I have to say Yoshi has the more accurate view," he replied, "it doesn't seem like they're bold enough to do it. If they knew about the time I chased down and tackled Milo, they'd realize that taking us on won't be that easy. It's pretty negligent for them to proceed with the same plan after the first time."

"And don't forget Milo's viewpoint in all this," Fox added, "Why would they drag him back to the crime scene? They either didn't know Milo already gained Yoshi's trust, or there must be another motive behind the attack on the restaurant."

The Smashers all sighed, wondering what ulterior motive was behind this. Yoshi kept thinking back to the time when he was arrested with Milo, and how Milo referred to his mysterious leader time and again. Could this person be behind the attacks, and for what motive would such an illogical act stem from? And of all the people, why did it have to involve Milo? "I know they dragged Milo in this for a reason," he told the group, "I know you're pretty split on Milo, with Kirby and Pikachu being somewhat negative due to our last battle, Link and Fox being sympathetic after what we heard from him, and Mario and Samus being on the fence. But knowing Milo, I doubt he voluntarily went in."

"He may be telling the truth when he said he didn't want in, but he was with the street gang when the attack proceeded," Pikachu stated, "he could have escaped or sought protection from you or Ashley, but he stuck around and refused to go. I'm not sure why he's so loyal to those guys."

Yoshi winced. He had always gotten along best with Kirby and Pikachu, mostly because the threesome had many things in common, both in personalities and in fighting abilities. However, it was evident that there was a break in ideas, as Yoshi was hesitant to drop his loyalty to Milo, while Kirby and Pikachu seemed keen on nailing him. He glanced at his fellow Smashers, none of them willing to comment. Finally, his eyes landed on a certain plumber. "Mario, if there's one person that I think should be the voice of reason, it's you. You've known my dad for a long time, you've partnered up with me several times, and you know my situation best. What's your take on Milo?" he asked.

Mario inhaled deeply as every set of eyes honed in on him like a spotlight on Broadway. "All these events happened so fast, and we're still in the dark," he described, "we helped out one street urchin after he got arrested with you, and now we find out there are so many more around. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it's truly sobering to have this large group operating under our feet without us knowing. I think Milo's truly a good kid wanting to do the right thing, but there's too much fear and insecurity within him. After surviving the orphanage, and living three years in the sewers, he's suffered almost constant abuse, and his judgment is somewhat clouded. Let's get more info before we can judge."

"And in between all this, we still have to worry about the health of Yoshi Sr. Mario and I were at the hospital earlier with your uncle, and while the doctors say he's recovering nicely, his eyesight still hasn't returned much," Samus chimed in, " The best thing we can do right now is get some rest, and try figuring out more of the events tomorrow morning. I doubt the issue will go away any time soon," the blonde suggested.

As if right on cue, a taxi cab pulled up to the curb. Yoshi waved goodbye to his friends as he boarded the vehicle, buckling up tightly before giving the driver Brendan's address. The taxi roared off within seconds, leaving the Smashers along on the darkened sidewalk. Gathering themselves, they also headed down the road, towards the direction of their hotel. Despite the late hours, none of them believed they would be getting any rest tonight. Somehow, after the recent turn of events, the issues surrounding the sewers and the street urchins only became more complex.

* * *

This chapter is definitely more complex than my past ones. I felt I've been playing it too conservative in earlier chapters, and ended up with a story that's a bit too bland. I'm currently experimenting a bit with my techniques, and I'm in the midst of changing things up right now. Tell me if you feel these changes spice things up a bit. Thanks for reading!


	6. Crossroads and Turning Points

It's "Those Two" **(Poet Bucky **and **I.K.A. Valian)** who reviewed my story again. I couldn't ask for anything more from them, as their reviews, once again, pointed out where I can improve and what I can change to make this story even better. I think I'm finally done large-scale experimentation and can go with this "new" style now, although some tune-ups will still be present. Hope everyone is alright with this.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

The street urchins marched through the police station, most of them trying to hide their faces and avoiding eye contact with the men and women in uniform as they were taken into interrogation. This had been the moment that they had feared the most, as they heard enough times from their leader that this was the place they must avoid. It had been made clear to them that anyone incompetent enough to be caught by police would not be welcomed back to the group, and that those who were left behind stayed behind. But never in their lives did they expect that the one who sent them here was also the one who had been caught before by the police, and now was deemed a traitor by their leader.

And said boy was taken in the opposite direction, moving straight into the staff sergeant's office with Brendan and Ashley. Given that this was his second time here, Milo felt a sense of déjà vu, but also some nervousness as he was about to meet with the staff sergeant Jack Riley, Brendan's friend of twenty years. He was not interrogated by Jack the last time he was here, and was afraid of Jack's reaction if he found out about what the street urchins had in mind. Shifting uneasily in his chair, he could hear the door click close as the tall, dark-haired man took a seat behind his desk.

"First of all, I have to thank you guys for getting those kids in here. We have records for missing children from that orphanage dating back to seven years ago. If we match these kids to those orphans, then it's a big step in cracking a case," Jack explained.

Brendan nodded, his body relaxing as he heard the news. This had haunted him all these years, where the orphanage that he helped could not improve its conditions, leading to many children losing faith in it and running away. Now, hearing that some of those kids have been found, he could rest a bit easier. "I'm guessing that they weren't the only ones to be missing, no?" he asked.

Jack shook his head. "We believe there are many more underground, all courtesy of an orphan formerly of that orphanage. This is Lane Jackson, who ran away from there about seven years ago," Jack showed Brendan and Ashley the file and described the case to them. The two dinosaurs got off their chairs and pulled up for a better look, covering Milo like a cave and making it difficult for the boy to see the file.

The deliberation between the police officer and the two dinosaurs continued, making Milo even more uncertain. Were they merely discussing what these older orphans were up to? Or were they considering doing something that would directly make Milo involved? It was an option that Milo was intent to avoid, as he already incurred the leader's wrath. Despite bonding well with Yoshi and his family, Milo could not shake loose the last words of the street urchins: traitor.

"And this is where Milo comes in handy," Jack said, snapping Milo back to reality. He was so wrapped up in his fear of having to face the leader again that he did not even realize Brendan and Ashley had returned to their seats, and Jack already put the file folder away. "Knowing that Milo had spent significant amounts of time both at the orphanage and in the sewers, I'm certain that he should have some knowledge of what's going on. If Milo can tell us what he's seen and heard, it might just help us."

Milo glanced up, uncertainty written all over his famous puppy dog eyes. Jack stared back into them with a thoughtful expression, hoping to coax some answers out of the youngster. "You realize you're doing the best thing for everyone by telling us what we should know to crack this case. You'll stop a smuggling ring and prevent further abuse of orphans, so please think carefully about this."

Milo's eyes were cast downward, observing the floor like a scientific specimen. Milo, for as long as he could remember, never had a chance to "do the right thing." Throughout his stay at the orphanage, the older and bigger kids who picked on him. And throughout his stay in the sewers the leader dictated his every move. But ever since he met Yoshi, who trusted his judgment and allowed him to make choices, Milo experienced a sense of freedom and maturity that he knew he had before, but had not been able to exercise. It truly made him feel good that Jack now gave the same opportunity to him, not just to exercise judgment, but actually do the right thing.

But the other side of him was still hesitant to reveal too much. After all, there was no guarantee that the street urchins, or even his leader, would not run into him again in the future. What if they held a grudge, and considered him the squealer that betrayed the group? Despite the tough talk regarding those left behind would stay behind, the leader did mention solidarity in their operations. Milo's hands made their way to his temples, rubbing the sides of his head in deep thought as he pondered which route to take.

Milo's dilemma was not unnoticed by Brendan, who intervened to set thing right. "I can't control your choice, but I know one thing," Brendan stated, "My nephew didn't make a mistake when he gave you a chance, and I ask you not to break his heart."

"The life of the sewers is not a life for you," Ashley added, "You have such great potential for a wonderful future, and who knows? Maybe a kind family would adopt you and make you finally reach that potential? But if you choose to side with the street gang, then you're ultimately forever allied with them, and destroying any bright future."

Jack mouthed a silent thank you to his friends, and glared at Milo with determined but non-threatening eyes. "I know, from my ten-plus years of experience as a police officer that street gangs love to use the slogan 'honour among thieves' to solidify their support among young people. It makes the targets believe that gang life is honourable, where members look out for the other like family, and protect each other from police or rival gangs. But it's nothing but a lie: the second a gang loses a member, they have no incentive to get that member back. It's much easier to grab another guy off the street to replace them, so why risk running into police to get them back?" Jack challenged Milo.

Milo's eyes shot up, this time in fear more than uncertainty. Jack leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms as he continued, "Moreover, should members be lucky and escape police, chances are the gang would reject or downright kill them. Those members will now be viewed as threats to the group thanks to their brushes with the law. Now, I know you're different, because you joined the gang based on a different background than most other gang members, but I assure you, just because you're an orphan doesn't mean you'll be any better off. You're lucky that Yoshi managed to pull you out of there before it's too late."

Those words slammed into Milo like a truck, as the young boy was overwhelmed by the revelations. No honour among thieves, no solidarity, and Jack even accused the leader of opportunism. Hearing that, he was close to breaking down in tears. "But while your leader has been the image of disgusting behaviour, Yoshi had been nothing but kind to you, pulling you out from the sewers, listening to you, treating you with respect and letting you choose. I know for a fact, as Yoshi's family friend, that if you go with Yoshi, he won't break his word. And since Brendan and Ashley are both respected members in their community, they too will do everything they can to help you out." Jack continued, offering a more positive view.

Milo pursed his lips and closed his eyes, mulling over every detail. In the end, no matter what he felt, he had to agree with Brendan, Ashley and Jack. Milo truly felt there was a bond between Yoshi and him, and was not willing to betray that trust, no matter what the results of the so-called "betrayal" may be. Nodding his head, he made his choice. "I'm ready," he told Jack determinedly, lifting his head to Jack in the face.

Jack took out some note paper and clicking his pen. Brendan and Ashley looked on at the boy, nervous at the results he was to reveal, but also proud of him in making this choice. Deep down, they truly wished Yoshi was here to witness this. He would be proud of Milo too, they thought to themselves as Milo began his story.

* * *

"Alright, thanks for updating us, Yoshi. See you later, alright?" Mario snapped his cell phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket. He went back to the hotel lobby to join the other Smashers as they deliberated on their next move. There was some maps laid out as the Smashers tried to highlight the route Link and Fox took into the sewers.

"The orphanage is right here, and Yoshi and Milo took off from the side and went into an alley over here," the Cornerian fighter pilot pointed out the directions on the map with a ballpoint pen, "they then opened up a manhole and went under."

Samus mapped out the route with a highlighter. "Were you able to track what direction they went once you're underground? Kind of like where it led to?"

Link shook his head. "We were having enough trouble just following Yoshi and Milo around, plus it's pretty dark down there, so it's hard to see," he explained, "but we do know that they managed to reach the end, where there was a storage compartment, and the entrance they went into was very close to it. That's all we got from there."

Mario rubbed his face, his fingers brushed against his moustache as the bad news hit. They might be aiming for a wild goose chase at best, should they pursue the attempt to locate the other street urchins. "Is there another way to check the locations without running around in split groups? I doubt there's good cell phone coverage down there." Mario commented.

"Not to mention that if we split up, it only increases the chances of us getting ambushed by those urchins," Kirby pointed out, "this is their territory, and given what we've heard from Milo about their living habits, I don't think they'll take it too lightly having outsiders around. We may have to resort to force if we're down there."

That deflated any excitement the Smashers once had. Earlier, they were all anxious and itching to save more orphans and effectively neutralizing any threats or control this so-called leader had on them. But facing an elaborate network of passages and an otherwise unfriendly atmosphere, they were unsure of whether to take the risk or not. Sounds of discussion were replaced by their heavy breathing, sounding like the sea breeze coming in from San Francisco Bay.

Suddenly, Mario had an idea. Earlier, Yoshi told him over the phone that he was heading over to the orphanage to check on Milo and wait for the arrival of the other street urchins. Maybe he could get Yoshi to find out for them? "Guys, I have a plan," he announced to the group, pulling out his cell phone again. The rest of the Smashers looked on as Mario punched in an all-too-familiar number and waited for the call to connect.

The short wait seemed like years for everyone as the dialling sound finally gave way to a click. The intense looks on each Smasher's face relaxed as Mario spoke into the phone. "Yoshi, it's me. Where are you right now?" he asked.

"I just arrived at the orphanage," Yoshi replied from the other line, "I'm about to meet up with Milo, and the other orphans should be getting here soon. We're going to see if the staff will let Milo help the others fit in. What's up with you guys?"

"So Milo's with you? Excellent," Mario signalled to the Smashers to open the maps while dealing with the call, "I was hoping you can ask Milo a few questions. This has to do with how to get to the underground headquarters in the sewers. We're hoping we can go in and free more orphans. Can you ask Milo for me?"

"Wait, are you crazy? Why are you doing something like that on your own? It's dangerous down there!" Yoshi asked, bewildered at his friend's attempt, "If you want to save the kids, at least have someone who knows the route go down with you."

"We're hoping to strike the iron while it's hot," Mario responded, taking a seat in front of the maps and preparing to mark the sewage lines, " many of the group's stronger members were involved in that ambush at the restaurant, so this is a huge blow to the street gang if they're now at the orphanage. If we can go in there and get anything: orphans, information, locations, we would have the advantage. It would surely help in saving more orphans."

There was silence for a few seconds, making the nervous expressions return to the Smashers' faces. Yoshi pondered the options, before finally deciding that he wanted in as well. "Thanks to hanging out with Milo, I know the sewers better than most of you. I can help you out once I'm done over here," he explained, "meet me at the orphanage in an hour and we'll get going."

Mario glanced at the group for confirmation, and received a consensus on Yoshi's move in return. "Sure, we'll be there," he replied, "by the way, how's Milo?"

"Milo? Well, I'm standing right next to him right now, waiting for the others to arrive. And I can honestly say, he's never been better," Yoshi described.

* * *

Milo had a huge smile on his face during the entire time that Yoshi was on his cell phone. He had been at the orphanage since late last night, and had the whole morning to mull over the events at the police station. It was the crossroad that he had to face, having to choose between living on the streets and regaining a potential he hadn't tasted for years. He was nervous earlier, wondering if this so-called betrayal would be a negative for him should he meet up with the other orphans. Yet, the arguments offered by Brendan, Ashley and Jack managed to convince him to change his mind. And with that, Milo truly felt a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders.

As Yoshi ended the call, he turned to his younger companion and put a hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing?" Yoshi asked, "If you're really taking on this role of 'rehabilitating' orphans, then I say it's a big step for your personal journey."

Milo's grin spread from ear to ear as he replied, "You know, looking back, I'm kind of glad that I made this choice. Things weren't going my way, and it became worse when I entered the sewers, but I'm glad it all worked out. And I'm glad I met you, since you're the one who convinced me I shouldn't be down there anymore," he said gratefully.

Just as he finished, Yoshi pulled the boy into a tight hug, the first time the green dinosaur had shown such compassion for Milo. Milo returned the hug as well, realizing that this was the sibling-like bonding that Yoshi's family and Jack had referred to. Yoshi gave Milo a chance, and Milo showed his loyalty to ensure he wouldn't lose that trust. "Thanks for everything, Yoshi," Milo said as they released each other, "you can't believe how much this means."

Yoshi nodded. He never would have envisioned this a few days ago, when they first met each other during the breaking-in of that store adjacent to Ashley's restaurant. The two originally treated each other like mortal enemies, but Yoshi saw something in Milo at the police station when they were first arrested. Yoshi gave him the benefit of the doubt when he saw Milo fearing his isolation. True, Milo made poor choices and appealed too much to his background as an orphan to dodge responsibility, but Yoshi was convinced that it was not malevolent at all.

"Well, it was a chance we both took," Yoshi said sheepishly, moving out to the lobby with Milo as they waited for the other orphans to arrive, "we didn't hit it off very well, and were initially on opposite teams. But we understood each other's backgrounds, and cooperated on our common issues despite our differences really. I couldn't ask for a better result."

Milo didn't respond, but continued flashing his grin instead. And the happier Milo seemed to be, the more comfortable Yoshi felt. He's a good kid, Yoshi thought, he really is. And that was why he felt a bit odd having agreed to the Smashers' plan to invade the sewers again. Although Yoshi was all for helping the orphans, he didn't want to bring Milo back into the fray that soon. Milo had to regroup before turning his efforts to his fellow orphans. "I'll just ask him about it," Yoshi decided, "I won't make him go in."

Milo's excited call shattered Yoshi's train of thought, as the boy bounded his way back to the dinosaur and grabbed Yoshi by the arm. "They're here, let's go meet up with them," he beamed, eager to meet up with the other orphans.

Yoshi followed Milo along as the police escorted the orphans into the centre. He could see a mirror image of the Milo from a few days ago: slouched back, eyes gazing onto the floor, and avoiding any contact with those around them. They stepped into the lobby in a group, trying to shield their faces as they made a beeline for the back. Seeing how isolated and afraid they were of those around them, Yoshi realized that Milo had a huge task ahead of him to help these kids reintegrate themselves into society.

But one person that Yoshi and Milo paid particular attention to was the tallest and oldest teen bringing up the rear. It was the so-called leader of this group, defiantly challenging the fact that he was brought here. He stood more erect than the other children, his eyes darting back and forth as he scowled menacingly. It almost seemed like he was daring the orphanage staff to come close to him, rather than avoiding the people. This could be trouble for Milo, Yoshi thought.

"Bryce Fox, are you going to come along?" a staff member called from the back. That snapped everyone out of their trances, as they saw the teenager slowly move to the back. His eyes still scanned the surroundings, threatening to pounce on anyone that was too close. Yoshi trained his eyes on the teen, making sure he didn't do anything strange. At least Yoshi now knew his name, and could identify him, if needed.

"Yoshi, I got to go now," Milo said from the doorway. Yoshi turned to see his friend leave the lobby and go into the back, "we'll keep in touch, alright?"

"Actually, wait," Yoshi halted the boy, "I was hoping you'd give me some hints on where to go into the underground, and where the so-called headquarters that you took me to last time was located. You don't have to go down with the Smashers and me if you don't want to, but I was hoping you'd still give me some directions."

Instead of fear or rejection, Milo seemed oddly helpful in revealing this topic and helping the Smashers in their cause. Pulling out a pencil and grabbing some scrap paper from the recycle bin, Milo sketched a rough map of the sewers and identified the location of their headquarters. "Just follow these steps and you should get there," he told Yoshi, "When you're down there, please make sure everybody's alright for me."

Yoshi nodded, waving goodbye before stepping outside. He still had some time before the Smashers arrived, so he took the side route to the fence bordering the open area of the orphanage. He wanted to see the orphans get used to their surroundings first, as a staff member took them out to the back and guided them around. But that older urchin and the so-called leader of the invasion group, Bryce, seemed distant as he viewed the surroundings. Yoshi pressed himself against the building as he continued to observe the teen from afar. Whatever Bryce had in mind, Yoshi felt it might lead to more trouble.

* * *

It seemed ironic that a supposedly flawless plan to invade Ashley's restaurant was thwarted not because of their weakness, but on the strengths of three overly cute and seemingly harmless creatures. Bryce heeded the leader's orders by bringing in all of the group's strongest members. Using Milo as a hostage, he attempted to get Yoshi's group to surrender rather than attacking all out. With the distraction, the leader figured that it would be a breeze to get into the restaurant.

But that was not the case, as even on half strength, the three younger and smaller Smashers handily defeated their group. Moreover, Yoshi managed to get Milo to switch sides. "That little traitor, I can't believe he would do something like this," Bryce fumed. Now the group found themselves back where it all started, at the orphanage. It was the place where all of them, including Milo, considered "enemy camp," and were warned not to go back to.

But for some reason, Milo didn't seem too upset by the turn of events. Rather, he was cheerful and upbeat, a mood that none of the orphans had seen before. For Bryce, the happier Milo was, the angrier he became, almost like the traitor had won. "I've been with the leader for the longest, he's taken care of all of us, and now that little squealer thinks he can get away with betraying us all?" he seethed.

"Seriously, Yoshi didn't lie when he said things will get better. You just have to have the right mindset and approach, and everything will be fine. It's because I started thinking differently that I felt so much better," Milo explained to the younger urchins, waving as arms and prancing around excitedly. Bryce hissed through his teeth as he tried to ignore the smaller boy. Instead, his eyes turned elsewhere as he revisited the same spot where he and another teen tried to lure Milo out of the orphanage the first time.

Bryce still remembered it clearly as he offered a more positive view for Milo, claiming the leader had changed his mind and was willing to accept Milo. This was despite Milo had been arrested by police earlier and the leader's insistence on those left behind would stay behind due to their incompetence. Milo proved to be a stubborn little guy, refusing to budge from the orphanage and threatening to send the staff on them. That was when Bryce and the others had to rely on force, coming back the next night with more urchins and mugging Milo on the spot. They abducted him from the orphanage and took him back to the sewers, where he was brought before the leader.

And it was also right then that everything fell apart, as Milo proved once and for all that he had no loyalty to the group by siding with Yoshi. Staring in seething anger at Milo, Bryce muttered to himself, "I've got to get out of here and back to the leader where I can report everything,"

"Hey, you still want to join us?" a joyful voice called. It was his former subordinate, now so-called friend of the Yoshi family, Milo Sullivan. The younger and shorter boy stood patiently next to him, a bright smile plastered on his face. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Bryce remained silent, fuming hard as he returned Milo's cheerful expression with an angry frown. The last person he wanted to be with was Milo, as he vowed not to be caught dead with that traitor when he spent that night at the police station. Besides, he had more important things to do, such as making a quick run for it. His eyes traveled to the side, and saw the railing that he grabbed Milo from that night. Sizing up its height and comparing it with Milo's weight, he suddenly had an idea. What if he tried to escape, and used Milo as a temporary distraction to the staff? That way, they wouldn't have time to check on Milo and chase after him at the same time.

Bryce turned his head back to Milo, scanning him up and down like a photocopy machine. Leaning against the railing, he began in a nonchalant voice, "You know, Milo, it's not like I don't know this place. I've been here for a few years, so there's no need to show me anything."

Milo's face remained relatively cheerful, but there was just a quick flinch in his body, flashing by in less than a second as the answer caught him off guard. "Well, I'm supposed to show everyone around, since Yoshi and I decided that I should help you get back together as a group," Milo replied, "but I guess I forgot that most of you have been here before, heh." Milo rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly.

"I have to admit, you sure were a dedicated member of our group when we were still in the sewers, doing pretty much everything we told you to do," Bryce continued, anticipating the large fish known as Milo to bite his baited hook. Milo shifted his position, inching close enough to the rail to put the plan into action. "That's why I found it so surprising when you chose to defect. Just curious, did you care about any member of our group at all?"

Milo cocked his head, the sides of his lips curling back to a horizontal position. Bryce was the one with the smirk, and Milo was becoming a bit uncomfortable. "Of course I cared about everyone else, why do you think I offered to help them here?" Milo replied, shocked at the sudden reversal, "I'm shocked you're even asking that question. What's the deal, man?"

The world around them seemed to have disappeared as the two were focused on each other. Everything around them was a blur, including the staff leading the tour for the other orphans, who were now quite a distance away. "Well, if you truly do care about the others," Bryce said slyly, "then I guess you won't mind if I do this…"

Suddenly, Bryce scaled the railing, getting a good jump on it and taking another step to his freedom. Milo snapped out of his dumbfounded trance and tried grabbing the older boy. "Hey, what are you doing?" he shouted. He had a hand on the back of Bryce's shirt, but the teen was stronger than Milo. Dragging him along, Milo was pinned against the rail as he climbed through.

"And just to make sure they're distracted enough," Bryce continued, twisting his arm around and holding a fistful of Milo's shirt. He cocked his other arm back and balled his hand into a fist. Then, traveling towards Milo's face at light speed, the fist connected with the bridge of Milo's nose, impacting the ridge like a comet hitting the earth.

Milo screamed as the collision occurred, losing his balance and collapsed to the ground like an old wooden board. Blood instantly sprayed out from his nose like a broken faucet, the thick, red liquid staining his shirt, pants, and the grass below. "Thank you for caring about me, Milo, and have a great day," Bryce sneered just as the orphanage staff turned to see the commotion. He sped away from the scene just as they headed over, with the wounded Milo sitting right in between them. In Bryce's mind, there was nothing to stop him from leaving now.

But before the teenager could take another step, he was thrown to the ground with a vicious head butt, the force of the attack feeling more like a bus rumbling down the hill. Bryce landed on the ground the same way Milo did earlier, his head still shaky from the ambush. He turned his head up to find his assailant, only to see a very angry-looking green dinosaur standing above him. "You're not going anywhere," Yoshi seethed.

Bryce slowly got back up to his feet. He could hear the orphanage staff getting closer to the injured Milo, and the window of opportunity for his escape was closing faster than the sliding doors of a subway train. "So what're you going to try again? That cheap trick with the tongue that puts me in an egg," Bryce challenged Yoshi. His hand pressed into the sand and soil beneath, creating a small crater.

"For starters, it's not a cheap trick. It's a trait all members of the Yoshi species are born with, including genetically mutated ones like my uncle," Yoshi spat, "Secondly, if you don't surrender and turn back quietly, you bet I'll do it again."

"Then let's see how well you can do it with your eyes closed," Bryce retorted. In one swift motion, he grabbed the dirt from the ground and hurled it into Yoshi's face, the brown substance landing onto its target with a splat. As Yoshi tried to clean the mud off, Bryce elbowed Yoshi into the fence, the metal wires pressing hard onto the dinosaur's spine, leaving Yoshi with blurry eyes and immense back pain.

This act was not unnoticed by the Smashers, who just arrived from the sidewalk. Seeing their friend being wounded, they charged into the side alley, grabbing Yoshi by the shoulders and trying to sit him up. "Are you alright, Yoshi?" Kirby asked.

"Yeah, I'll manage," Yoshi stuttered, trying not to move his back. Although there was no spinal damage, the Smashers could see various cuts and bruises on Yoshi's back, and had it not been for the red hump in the centre, the wires would have cut through the skin. "Check Milo, he's hit way harder than I was," Yoshi instructed, pointing inside.

"What about the attacker? We can't just let him take off," Pikachu replied. His eyes were still trained in the direction Bryce fled towards, seeing only the back of the teen's body as he neared the alleys. Pikachu suspected that he was a former street urchin, and that worried him. Because once he went underground, it would be even more difficult to pursue him, not to mention dangerous should they invade urchin territory.

"Mario, Samus, Fox and I will go after him. Fox and I have been into the alleys before," Link proposed, "you guys take care of Yoshi and Milo, and make sure they get medical attention. I think Milo might need a doctor." With that, the four older and taller Smashers took off.

* * *

"He should have gone this way," Fox pointed out to the group, "we followed Milo and Yoshi down here the first time around, and he should be nearby," the Cornerian pilot lifted the heavy manhole cover for the team, waiting for all of them to step down before going into the dark abyss himself. "We probably can't see very far in the darkness, so we'll have to listen for any sounds, especially footsteps," he suggested.

"And that's where you and Link come in handy, right? With your big ears, you should be hearing the most," Samus joked as they reached the bottom. None of them had a flashlight available, so they only relied on Mario creating a small fireball from his hand and using that flame to light the way. As they navigated their way through the tunnels, they kept their eyes and ears peeled for any strange sounds or shadows. But unfortunately for them, the only noise being made were the Smashers' own footsteps, gentling tapping into the cement and creating a light splashing from the sewage water.

"He's got to be here somewhere, he couldn't have gone far," Mario muttered as they marched down to a crossroad. There were long and dark tunnels on either side of them, and neither side looked too promising. The four Smashers stood on their end, turning their heads back and forth, as if they were crossing a busy intersection.

"Well, no use staying around and watching," Samus suggested, "I say we split up into two and explore these tunnels. Fox and I will go left and Mario and Link will go right. We'll meet back here in about fifteen minutes. Agreed?"

As both sides took off, they didn't notice a shadow right in the centre of the intersection slowly making its way up. Unnoticed by the Smashers, Bryce actually hid in a depression into the wall to the side of the main tunnel they originally came from, and the weak fireball from Mario's hand was not bright enough to illuminate that area. Seeing the fools take off, Bryce sneaked into the right tunnel and tiptoed his way down the path, making sure to keep a safe distance between himself and Mario and Link. He could see the plumber and the Hylian hero step into the first bend, which told him that perhaps Link did not remember quite clearly the route to the hideout. Smirking, Bryce hurried on his way, taking short, quick but light steps in glee as he made his way to the end.

Bryce reached for the last door as he realized he would be home free by this time. He negotiated that narrow passage that took him into the open area of their headquarters, and was shocked to see a lot of urchins gathered there. He had not heard any speaking earlier, so he was unaware that there was a meeting of some sort. He took a few tentative steps forward, gauging the reaction of the urchins. Given that he was basically second-in-command and was the field leader, he expected some chatter among the kids.

But the usual liveliness of the area was absent, as the urchins merely stared at Bryce like he was an alien invading the planet. Even in a dark, gloomy environment like the sewers, there was some life in the sense that the street urchins would be interacting with one another, or older teens like Bryce would be there to plan the next move with them, but they all glared at Bryce like a prisoner going into his cell as the teen moved to the end of the hall, where the leader's room was. Something about this wasn't quite right.

"I'm not surprised you made it back. Better late than never, right?" the all-too-familiar voice of the leader called from the darkness. Bryce face turned to relief as he realized that nothing had changed since he left. The leader had never doubted his abilities in getting things done, and was not about to be disappointed here, or so Bryce thought.

But before Bryce could get too comfortable, the leader wasted no time needling him. "You know, I first recruited you because I know you're a good one. Seeing all the athleticism you showed in that orphanage, the way you handle younger kids, and your imagination in planning, I know you would be good with us. I even made you the number two guy here, after me. So why on earth did a foolproof plan to invade the restaurant while using Milo as a hostage fail that miserably?" he quizzed.

"It's not what it seemed. We were going to invade, but then Yoshi brought out two of his friends, and claimed they're the best fighters in the world. One was this pink ball that had a variety of weapons, and the other was this yellow mouse that could use electricity. We weren't prepared for that at all." Bryce explained frantically.

"You had Milo as a hostage," the leader repeated that line slowly and clearly, like speaking to a non-English speaker, "you claimed from all the conversations you had with him during the times you visited the orphanage that he betrayed us completely and would be on Yoshi's side. That meant they wouldn't attack us at all, as Yoshi now treated Milo as one of his friends. How did you lose even when they're fighting handicapped?"

Bryce neared the point of breaking down, as the leader was the one person Bryce truly feared, and Bryce realized he was losing the leader's trust real soon. He tried to find the words to describe his situation when the leader cut him off again. "Not to mention that you ended up getting caught by the police, and only you returned to us after the rest of the team was taken to the orphanage. That was our best group, and they leaked who knows how much info to the police. Tell me, have you become that incompetent?"

"I didn't betray you!" Bryce shouted, his breathing becoming quicker and deeper, "I never told anything about us to the police, and I never intended for us to go to the orphanage. It's Milo again; he convinced everyone to spill the beans. He's at the orphanage right now, trying to 'resettle the orphans into the world' as of we speak. He's trying to turn them away from us, it's all his doing, I swear."

"At the orphanage, did you say?" the leader slowed his berating on Bryce. If Milo was at the orphanage, it could very well mean Yoshi would be around, which would be a perfect distraction for his final plan. What if he got in his final attempt to get even with Brendan by taking advantage of this situation? It might not be worth it to get rid of Bryce now, as he could be used to deal with police later on. "Well, since your service with me has been pretty stellar, I say you're forgiven this time, but I'll give you a chance to make it up," he suggested, ideas hatching inside his mind.

* * *

And just so you know, the Smashers are going to get an increasingly bigger role in this. I want them to be the focal point when the external conflict in this story is solved. Thanks for reading!


	7. We're Not All That Different

"Those Two" (**I.K.A. Valian** and **Poet Bucky**) reviewed again, and there seems to be conflicting views on how my "new writing style" has worked out. Some liked it, others aren't too hot about it. All I can say is that you need to continue haniging tight with me, because I'm still working on it. Hopefully this new chapter will make things better.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

At the intersection just down from the manhole, two sets of lights converged from either side. One was a red ball sticking out from a hand, while the other was a blue, thin whip protruding from someone's arm. The two lights combined as the groups met in the middle, revealing the familiar faces of Mario, Link, Fox and Samus. "Nothing from this side," Samus reported, "it went on for then became a dead end. What about you?"

"We got something down here," Mario replied, "there was a small hidden door near the end of this tunnel, and Link recalled breaking into something similar last time. Let's check it out."

And that was where the Smashers found themselves, marching down the dark, damp sewers and parking themselves outside said door. Mario kept the fireball around the walls as Link and Fox tried figuring out how to open it. "We didn't really open it, did we?" Link asked his vulpine friend, "We did what you said and just knocked it down."

Fox smiled. Link sounded so much like General Pepper, who told him not to shoot first and ask questions later back in Sauria. To an extent, the mission here was similar as they were rescuing orphans, not blowing up the sewers. "If anything, this is even more dangerous than what we'd usually expect, since we can't attack in an indiscriminate way due to the kids involved here," Fox explained.

This was a sobering thought for the Smashers, as not only could they not attack the kids, the kids might in turn attack them. Moreover, after years of being "brainwashed" by their leader that anyone from the outside world was "bad", it was unlikely that any of them were willing to give the Smashers a chance to convince them they came in peace.

"This might not be the same as fighting Piranha Plants, but I'm ready for it," Mario stated, his fireball still glowing strongly "Besides, I think we can expose their leader as a fraud."

Stepping out of the way, they gave Fox a clear path to the door. Fox got into a wide, crouching stance and concentrated hard. A yellow flame emitted from his body as the Cornerian pilot glowed, illuminating this dark sewer like the sun rising over a deep canyon. With a battle cry of "Fire," Fox hurtled towards the door and slammed into it a full speed, breaking it down the same way he did the last time.

Smoke spewed from the opening as the other Smashers looked on, trying to see and hear the insides of this cave. There were limited cracks in the rocks above, letting just enough light in to lead the way, but not enough to show its contents. Fox was on his feet and glancing back, seeing his friends glancing in apprehensively. "Come on, the kids aren't going to be saved with us gaping at this passage," he called, snapping them out of it.

The group slowly inched into the darkness, their hearts pounding like drums as they entered a centre lobby-like area. They positioned themselves in the middle, scanning the surroundings. The mountain-like pipes and platforms reminded them of a coliseum, with all sorts of nooks and crannies likely leading to where the orphans slept. "There's no one around," Samus observed, "no children, no loot, no anything. Where's everyone?"

"There's no one greeting you because you're not welcome here," a voice from the side stated coldly. The Smashers turned to the direction of the voice and saw two people standing in the far end. They were both shaded perfectly by the shadows, so the Smashers were unable to get a good look at their faces. But from the tone of the voice alone, they knew it couldn't have been from a friendly source.

"So, it wasn't enough to have one of your own lure away one of our own, and have a team of children betray us, now you plan on invading?" the voice continued, "that's low, even for you. Nobody ever erodes our group's solidarity like that."

"Group solidarity? You've got to be kidding me," Link retorted, "Milo told us you never intended to retrieve him. That doesn't seem like solidarity to me. Besides, you manipulate defenceless orphans into looting stores, to be involved in smuggling rings, and send bombs. Who is the one with the low blow now?"

Just then, one of the two figures stepped towards the group. It was the teen that attacked Yoshi and Milo earlier; Bryce, the Smashers believed his name was. He stood before them defiantly, daring the Smashers to proceed. "And didn't you take advantage of Milo earlier, filling his brain with all that nonsense about siding with police and being better off at the orphanage? We all left that place for a reason, and you're just using one of our younger members to lure everyone else back." he challenged, countering every detail Link offered before.

Link fumed, his hands balling into fists as his brow furrowed in anger. It was evident to the Hylian hero that his opponents were willing to tell bald-faced lies just to get their way. "Yoshi gave Milo a chance at the police station and because of this, Milo respects Yoshi. Not to mention Yoshi was kind and patient with him, treating Milo like his own brother rather than a slave!" Link shouted, venom dripping with every word he spoke.

"And did you forget that you're the ones who kidnapped these kids from the orphanage in the first place, and have been keeping them here against their will?" Fox demanded, "For years you've been making them live off of crumbs and forcing them into doing illegal activities. And that's why we're here to stop you and free these kids."

Bryce's angry stared mimicked the one on Link's face perfectly. Had it not been for the Smashers deciding not to bring their weapons of choice, the Smashers would be sure that the Master Sword would be pulled, or a certain blaster would be aimed at the other side. As they stared tensely at each other, the leader of the group, who had stayed in the shadows the entire time, spoke in a surprisingly calm voice. "Since you Smashers are accusing me of keeping these kids here by force, I propose a compromise with you."

That caught the Smashers off guard, as they didn't expect the leader to back down that easily. Fox put a hand on Link's shoulder, signalling him to back down while they listened in on the leader. "I'll leave the option open for these kids right now: if anyone feels they'll be better off away from our group, and want to pursue a life without any contact from us, feel free to depart with the Smashers right now."

The Smashers were in shock, their mouths nearly dropping to the ground. Was the leader for real in letting the kids go? Or was this some trick meant to put the Smashers at a disadvantage? "Be on guard, something might be up here," Mario muttered. The Smashers slowly backed into a tight formation, their backs touching each other as they glanced around every direction. It would either be that the orphans would leave with them, or ambush them while they were defenceless.

But oddly enough, there was no sound. Apart from the street urchins exiting from the darkness and gathering around them, there was no movement towards the Smashers. Time slowly ticked by as the Smashers observed the strange scene, seconds feeling like hours as they endured cold stares from the children, mirroring the cool, dark chamber they were presently in. The only sounds that could be heard were the constant dripping of water from leaky pipes and the soft breathing of everyone around. And as this rhythm ticked by, it became more and more obvious that nobody was budging.

Seizing his chance to humiliate the Smashers, the leader spoke again. "See? It's so blatantly clear that none of these kids want to leave, so I'm not keeping them here against their will. And as for illegal activities, until you have evidence proving all those allegations, anything you imply is just rumours. I think you overstayed your welcome, so would you care to leave quietly or should Bryce here escort you four out?" he sneered.

Seeing the fruitless battle, the Smashers turned to leave, deflated and dejected. But then, Mario looked over his shoulder one last time, and saw the leader standing on the other side of the room. In what appeared to be an act of defiance, he launched a blast of flames from his hand, shooting them near but not at or onto the leader. "Don't think this is over," the plumber warned, "we'll meet again, and we will finish the job!"

The leader almost tipped over by the nearing flames, but regained balance just in time to see the fire dissipate. He glared mercilessly at Mario and the Smashers, who made their way back out. "They don't scare me," he mumbled before heading back inside.

The Smashers didn't know how to react as they slowly climbed the ladder and back out the manhole. As Fox closed the sewer, Samus pulled Mario aside and asked, "What was that all about? You weren't trying to start a fight back there, were you?"

Mario shook his head, but kept a smile on his face. "I got exactly what I wanted from there," he replied, "now let's call Yoshi and see how he's doing. I think Kirby and Pikachu will have their hands full with those injuries."

* * *

"Are you alright, Milo? You don't need any treatment for your injury, do you?" Yoshi asked as his young friend stepped out from the doctor's. Yoshi had the less serious injuries, with mainly cuts and bruises on his back and shoulders. The doctors cleaned out the wounds with alcohol swabs and put on simple bandages before letting him out.

But Milo was not as lucky, as he was diagnosed with a broken nose, and lost quite a lot of blood. Had it not been Kirby and Pikachu helping out at the orphanage, he might not have been conscious by the time he reached the hospital. Milo finally finished getting treated, wearing some new clothes Kirby and Pikachu brought over from the orphanage. He ended up getting the bridge of his nose taped up, and was holding a bottle of medicine in his hands. "They told me it's a fracture, and that I don't need surgery. Just painkillers will do, at least that's what the orphanage approved. Where are Kirby and Pikachu?" he asked, pocketing the pills as he met up with Yoshi.

"The orphanage called the police and they're currently interrogating the two," Yoshi replied, "I won't be surprised if they call us for an interview. But before we do that, there's someone I want you to meet, and he's just a couple floors above us."

Milo swallowed. He had an idea who it might be, and throughout the entire time they waited for and rode on the elevator, his heart pounded and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He truly feared the reaction of this person as Yoshi guided him through the snaking passageways to the appropriate hospital room. The open door allowed the sunlight from the outside to shine through, making it resemble a welcoming spotlight reserved for a star, but Milo felt like anything but one.

"Come on, Milo, let's go. The sooner you meet him, the better, otherwise the police will be wondering where we are," Yoshi called from the doorway. That snapped Milo out of his trance, his mind filled with uncertainty and insecurity. Was he truly ready to face this final test? Taking a deep breath, Milo lifted his feet, which felt like bricks right now, and trudged inside.

Lying on the hospital bed before them was a large dinosaur. He resembled Yoshi in almost every way, except he was bulkier and probably taller. But the most noticeable difference had to be their postures: while Yoshi was always energetic and happy, this one seemed tired and frail, in an almost paralyzed state on the bed. Various tubes and wires came in and out of his body, as constant beeping on the machines monitored his breathing and heart rate. But the one thing that Milo could not tear his eyes from was the dinosaur's head, which was taped on various parts. Even those exposed bits had clots and scars, showing signs of a brutal attack to his head.

"Milo, I want you to meet my dad, the one they call Yoshi Sr. He was the one who opened the bomb box originally meant for my uncle," Yoshi explained. Yoshi grabbed his father's hand to signal that he was here, and the patient turned slightly to his direction while Yoshi continued, "Dad, this is Milo Sullivan. He's the street urchin that Uncle Brendan, the Smashers and I kept referring to."

Milo grew cold as Yoshi Sr. had his eyes set straight on him, his knees wobbling like jelly. Cold perspiration froze onto his hands, unprotected by his trademark open-fingered gloves, which had to take a wash after the bloodbath at the orphanage earlier. "He can't see you very clearly, you know. The explosion impacted part of his brain, and he's lost his sight. He's regained some of it now, but he's still in the dark, if you excuse the pun," Yoshi explained, leaning his chest against the hospital bed.

"Not in the dark, actually," Yoshi Sr. spoke for the first time, in a quite energetic tone. This seemed quite contradictory to his physical appearance, and it surprised Milo, albeit in a positive way. "I'm actually able to see some light now, and can distinguish between colours. But I'm still not seeing details, so I rely mainly on sound to locate you."

Milo didn't respond, stuck with a strange expression bordering relief and anxious. Moving over to him, Yoshi nudged the boy to the bed. "Say something to him," he hissed in Milo's ear.

"So, um, you're Yoshi's dad," Milo began, not knowing what to say, "I'm guessing Yoshi and the others did tell you a bit about me. I mean, if they did come, but…" Milo was mentally slapping himself for stuttering at this point. How could he slip up at this moment? As if bombing Yoshi Sr. and making him lose his sight wasn't bad enough, Milo had to be at a loss of words now?

"Actually, Brendan and the others did tell me about you, and I am aware of the bombing, even though I didn't see most of it." Yoshi Sr. replied in a calm and collected voice, "Yoshi has also told me about your background, and I can't say I totally blame you. All I can say is that my son has faith in you for a reason, and I strongly encourage you to continue working with police to finish this matter as quickly as possible."

"You're not the only one with a physical injury courtesy of the street urchins," Yoshi chimed in, "Milo here got his nose broken after trying to prevent one of the older urchins from escaping the orphanage, and I got my back cut and bruised after being slammed into a fence. But Milo plans to stay at the orphanage and help the rest of those street kids rehabilitate. He's not giving up on them, and neither will I."

Yoshi Sr. nodded, satisfied with both their efforts. He was about to say more when Kirby and Pikachu burst into the room. "The police are looking for you guys," Kirby reported, "They want your testimony. The rest of the Smashers have already arrived and are speaking to them right now. Can you come down once you're done?"

Milo glanced up, his eyes indicating he didn't want to leave yet. "Can I have five more minutes with your dad?" he requested.

Kirby and Pikachu looked at Yoshi suspiciously. What was Milo up to? But Yoshi reassured them that Yoshi Sr. would be fine. "Milo just wants to talk to my dad. Kirby, can you accompany him for now, and bring him down once he's done?" Yoshi suggested.

The puffball moved his way into the hospital room while Yoshi left with Pikachu. While waiting for the elevator, the electric rodent asked, "What's Milo doing with your dad? He's the one who sent the bomb that blinded him, so why are they together?"

"Just because of an explosion that partially blinded him doesn't mean my dad will shun Milo for life, you know. Besides, knowing that Milo had to exorcise this final demon, then it's only right they had a heart-to-heart talk." Yoshi retorted, winking an eye at Pikachu.

* * *

"So when you were down there, you didn't come in contact with any of the kids, did you?" Jack asked the Smashers. They were gathered in an empty waiting room in the hospital, where Jack and his team retrieved valuable information from eye witnesses at the orphanage. After hearing that the Smashers had actually gone underground to pursue their suspect, Jack couldn't help but dig that much deeper to get to his treasure.

"It was pretty dark down there, so we couldn't see too many faces, let alone get close to them," Link explained, "we did recognize the guy that attacked Milo and Yoshi earlier. Bryce was one of the people that confronted us, and he was standing next to this other guy who was in the shadows. We couldn't see his face at all."

"Although that leader guy did make a pretty unusual proposal to us," Fox added, "he told us that if we could convince the kids to leave, then he won't do anything to stop us. He wants to prove the kids aren't being kept there against their will. Of course, nobody moved, but that's probably expected, since this guy's basically brainwashed those kids into believing the outside world is bad. It's nothing but a load of crap, really." Fox's voice brimmed with anger as he finished.

"Well, giving chase into the sewers isn't something I would normally recommend for civilians, but knowing your backgrounds as Smashers, I guess I can let that one slide," Jack replied, scribbling in his notebook, "How are Yoshi and Milo doing? I assume both are healthy enough to talk, right? It will be harder for me to help you if they cannot participate."

And just as luck would have it, Yoshi stepped into the room. He quickly described the events from when he was waiting for the orphans to arrive with Milo, to when he was slammed back-first against the fence. "And the rest of the Smashers went after Bryce while Kirby and Pikachu attended to Milo and me," he concluded with a sigh.

Jack clacked his tongue. "All you got is a confirmation that Bryce ran off after attacking you and Milo, and that he was later found with the group of orphans in the sewers. Unless I can get some confirmation of their identities, I can't do much for the investigation," he informed the Smashers with a wince on his face.

Just then, Mario raised his hand. "Jack, I actually did manage to catch the face of the leader. It was when we were just leaving that I shot a blast of fire near him. It didn't hit him, but went close enough to show some facial details. If you have the list of orphans and their photos with you, I can help you identify him."

The Smashers turned to face their plumber friend in awe. "So that's what you were doing with that fire blast? It was to identify him?" Samus quipped.

Mario smiled and nodded as Jack pulled out a folder with all the missing orphans. He laid it out on the table as the plumber focused his eyes onto the pages, one hand tapping his chin as his gloved hand slowly moving over the paper like an eagle circling its prey from the sky above. Finally, Mario's hand stopped over a photograph, the largest one of the group. "That's him, I'm positive of it," he told Jack, pointing to the person, "the facial features, eyes and hair all match, so I'm pretty sure this is our guy."

Jack flipped the book around to get a good look at it, and couldn't help but chuckle. "You got the guy we were suspecting the entire time. Yeah, he's been around the neighbourhood for the last little while, ever since he escaped from the orphanage seven years ago," he said graciously as he put the photographs of the other children back into the folder. He turned the page to proudly announce the identity of the leader of the street urchins. "Folks, I'd like you to meet Lane Jackson. He was only sixteen years old when he ran away from the orphanage, and currently he's twenty three years old. He's known to police for the last few years with petty larceny, but it looks like we can tack smuggling and kidnapping to his list of charges as well."

Yoshi froze as he stared into the photograph. The figure had dark, messy hair, piercing eyes, and despite his neutral expression, showed off a sinister face. It made Yoshi uncomfortable as the person in the photo looked like he could see through his heart. Turning to Pikachu, he murmured, "Can you please tell Kirby to get Milo down here at once? I think he might want to see this."

* * *

And as the Smashers gathered at the hospital deliberating on the results, another group was at a meeting discussing a large event. In the sewers, Bryce Fox and a group of orphans were gathered before their leader to hear a briefing on their latest move. "We're losing our best people fast, and the only way we can stop this move is to neutralize their best people, and those are Brendan, Yoshi, and Milo," the leader described.

"You're not who I would usually take to invade, but if we're to succeed in denting their momentum, we're going to have to make do," Bryce continued, looking at his group of street urchins. These were among the less experienced and agile individuals, who were usually left behind to sort out the goods they managed to take from the outside. But when Yoshi and Milo turned his last team into the police, the best people for the job were taken from them and put into the orphanage. And with higher security keeping an eye on things there after Milo took a shot to the face, it wouldn't be easy to return to retrieve those kids.

"We're intending for another invasion of the Yoshi Store," the leader began, "the police authorized that the store can reopen after they finished their investigation, and Brendan has received deliveries in the last few days. I sure he'll be opening again two days from today. This time, we're going to loot his store and deal another blow to his attempts to further involve the orphanage."

At this time, one orphan raised his hand. "Since we've gone to the Yoshi Store before, won't they be looking for us again? And how will we be able to get the others back on our team once we're done?"

Bryce smiled. "Knowing that Yoshi would be there to support his uncle, we know he'll be focused on finding out who invaded. With Yoshi distracted, we'll go to the orphanage and recruit in secret. We'll bring out as many of the old people as possible, and even getting some new people too. They're not going to believe one of Milo when there are so many of us, so it'll be an easy job," he concluded, rubbing his hands in glee. There was no way those two would outdo him in this plan.

As Bryce continued explaining the location and features of the alley behind the Yoshi Store, the leader leaned back and went into a deep thought process. He had put up this façade of being a benevolent leader for the last seven years, and managed to gain a large following from these orphans. But really, he had never felt more insecure, as the police was on his tail harder than ever, and one of his own recruits turned on him. It truly brought him back down to earth, proving to him that he wasn't some amazing saviour; rather, he was just Lane Jackson, former troubled child and orphanage resident. And as the threat closed in on him, he realized that even he was not immune from the law.

What made the situation worse for Lane was that he no longer had the financial support from the other organized groups that relied on his street urchins to carry out the deliveries. Back then, those groups would pay him money to send the kids into helping them smuggle the goods, in which Lane could use the money to continue sustaining this lifestyle and recruiting more orphans. But ever since the police started pursuing the clues more vigorously, the organized groups no longer had as much room to work with. And ever since the unit in charge of investigating this crime promoted a new staff sergeant, Jack Riley, a month ago, things were even bleaker for the group.

"Stupid Brendan, stupid Jack Riley, stupid Yoshi, and stupid Milo," Lane cursed to himself as Bryce concluded his points to the team. He realized that for this mission to work, Bryce must provide enough distraction to the store to sway the attention into that area. And knowing Bryce for all these years, he was probably the best person for the job.

Just then, another urchin raised his hand, asking a question that snapped Lane back into reality. "What about the police? How can we get away from police fast enough in the Yoshi Store and skirt security at the orphanage afterwards?"

"We're going to run a blitz campaign on the Yoshi Store, raiding it with speed rather than doing real damage. We'll be out of there in a hurry," Bryce explained, "as for the orphanage, we'll distract the staff even with higher security, and sneak people to the back without them noticing. Here are a bunch of older plans that our leader has used when he did the recruiting…"

And as this topic was discussed, Lane couldn't help but think back to the times when he first escaped the orphanage, and had the idea of getting more unprivileged kids together to form this group. Bryce was among the first people he recruited, and like Lane, he came from a family where he rarely had a say, and took the opportunity given to him to become a controlling and dominating figure in the group. His strong command and leadership soon made him Lane's most trusted, and was made second-in-command of the group. And in these desperate times, Bryce was counted on more than ever to act.

But it also posed a dilemma for the leader, as to ensure his own safety, Bryce might have to be sacrificed to the police. Lane had intended to flee from San Francisco, even California, within the week, meaning most of these orphans would be left behind to fend for themselves. He was never one to be viewed as a coward, but what message would this be sending to the group? "I'm not a traitor to the cause," he reminded himself, "I fought every day for the last seven years to make things better, and I just needed a break from the battle to regroup. Milo's the real traitor, and he will pay."

* * *

"Thanks for bringing helping me set up, guys. I really couldn't be this prepared without you," Brendan told Yoshi and Milo as they put the final touches to the products on the stands in the Yoshi Store. It was the night after Yoshi and Milo had to visit the hospital to treat their injuries, and they felt well enough to help Brendan with the store after resting earlier.

"Well, the orphanage was kind enough to entrust me with supervising Milo until we finished, so I guess everything's alright there," Yoshi replied, "Milo has bonded quite well with me, and I'm almost a regular there, so I guess they have enough faith in me." Turning to Milo, he asked, "How does it feel to be back in the Yoshi Store, not as an invader, but a helper?"

Milo smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, seeing things from the other viewpoint sure feels different. There's more to running a store than I expected, and I definite realize what damage we could have caused if you didn't catch us. I definitely owed your uncle an apology, Yoshi, and I'll make it to you guys," he guaranteed as he set down another box, tugging on his now clean open-fingered gloves. They were returned to him earlier in the day from the hospital, and Milo didn't hesitate to wear his trademark again.

Brendan nodded. He realized that he too was on a journey for forgiveness. Yoshi had told Brendan and Ashley of the talk Milo had with Yoshi Sr. at the hospital the day before, and how Yoshi Sr. forgave Milo and encouraged him to reform himself so that the other orphans could soon follow and be integrated back into society again. Seeing how his brother refused to hold a grudge against Milo and the orphans, Brendan felt it was only right that he and his wife followed suit. So when Yoshi offered to bring Milo to the store, he didn't hesitate in agreeing to it, giving them time to understand each other.

"To get you to stick around means I get a chance to talk to you about your background," Brendan explained, "and to an extent, your life in the past few years is a parallel to my years directly after my early retirement from baseball. Like you, I hit rock bottom when the doctors told me I would require career-ending surgery. But I listened to those who supported me, like my brother and my wife. Pretty soon, I opened this store to showcase Yoshi's Island to the world. I've been at it for ten years, and enjoyed every bit of it. So don't ever fret about not getting a second chance. You're still young, so you have plenty of time before you have to make your mark."

Milo nodded. It was just then he realized that despite differences in backgrounds and starting off on different sides, he actually had so much in common with the Yoshi family. Like Brendan, he experienced some rough patches in his life that would put him to the test. Like Yoshi, he too had a tragedy that affected a loved one with his father passing away, compared to Yoshi's father losing his eyesight temporarily. Like Ashley, he was now put into the position of having to inspire others to keep going, and that meant being strong and solid like Yoshi Sr. "Yeah, I guess when you take away all the misconceptions, we're really not that different at all. It's almost like I'm part of your family without really being there," he concluded with a smile.

Just then, Yoshi felt it was time to bring Milo back to the orphanage for the night. "We're grabbing some dinner before I take him back. Do you want to join us?" He was already at the door with Milo while Brendan lingered inside.

"No thanks, I have some unfinished business from the last few days to attend to," Brendan replied. When the police shut down his store for their investigation, they cut off deliveries, meaning Brendan was left several days behind in sorting the goods. "I'll join you later on if I'm early, if not I'll see you back home after you dropped Milo off."

Hearing that, Yoshi and Milo took off, marching down the street to the direction of Ashley's restaurant, where Yoshi's aunt was preparing something special for them. The two strode happily down the sidewalk, talking and laughing to each other as they enjoyed the peaceful evening, the cool breezes making the night feel more comfortable. It seemed like that after all those hard few days, with the attacks on the restaurant and the physical blows on Yoshi and Milo, things were finally starting to look up.

But that peace was shattered just as they turned the corner, as they heard an all-too familiar sound. "This will be our escape route, as we'll take off from the back of the Yoshi Store and into these sewers," the voice in the dark explained.

Yoshi and Milo glanced at each other nervously, not liking the situation one bit. They slowly tiptoed into the alley, pressing against the walls as they tried to get a good look and listen in. The clear echoing did not provide a barrier to identifying the voice of Bryce Fox, who Yoshi and Milo could see, was deliberating before another group of kids. "We're going to use these sewers to get to the orphanage, where we'll get some recruits back. I know some of you may wonder how we'll do this when conditions have changed between then and now, but I have a solution for this. If you'll follow me…"

Bryce led the street urchins down another tunnel, one that most of these newer members had not been to before. But all this was old hat for the teen, who had been in the sewers for so long that he knew which tunnel led where like the back of his hand. And although this tunnel was seldom used by the urchins during Bryce's tenure here, it would be crucial in the success of their mission against Yoshi, Milo, and the orphanage.

"Over here, this leads us to the orphanage. There's a manhole that leads us to an alley just down the road from the orphanage," Bryce explained, "mostly we take another route from there that leads us back to headquarters, but we're doing things differently this time. After we raid the store, we'll tackle the orphanage and get our recruits from there."

The urchins glanced nervously at each other, not sure if they were ready to do this. It prompted one of them to ask, "Just how will we bypass Milo? With him holding the fort over there, and changes made already, won't he have a stronger case?"

Bryce smirked. "Of course he has a strong case, but what he doesn't have is our strength in numbers. We'll let him tell everyone why the orphanage is now a better place. The more he has to justify himself, the more likely he'll go wrong. His case goes from strong to weak, and that's when we go in for the kill. Don't forget that he's gone through the tough times as well, so if anything, playing the traitor card will destroy his argument completely. It's a sure win for us."

Bryce led them down another passageway, where the urchins were shown an open area that was once used as a water meter station until recently. Ever since San Francisco utilities staff moved it, it had been abandoned and nobody had truly used the area for years. "We'll have another group here waiting for us, and they'll be taking the loot back to the hideout. That way, we won't be walking around the streets with all the goods, and we won't be bringing attention to ourselves. We need the extra goods from the Yoshi Store for both sustaining our group and getting more funds," Bryce described.

The urchins glanced around, wondering of what use this would be to them. The dark, damp chamber resembled a large cavern that threatened to swallow them up. Would this foreshadow what might happen to their group should they botch this mission? What would be their fates if Yoshi and Milo managed to hold their ground? It seemed like there was so many obstacles to their success, which put extra uncertainty into the members. "There's no point in loitering around. I'll take you to the orphanage and show you what needs to be done and where we'll position ourselves," Bryce told the group.

But as they left the chamber, two figures in the shadows heard everything that was said. Yoshi and Milo glanced at each other nervously as they mulled over the street gang's plans. "It's too dangerous to bring you back to the orphanage right now," Yoshi decided, "that'll mean you'll show your face and bust their plans. Let's go to my uncle's house first, and we'll decided on how we'll stop this crazy plan."

* * *

And regarding a question I.K.A. asked me, here is how I envision the Smashers' cell phones:

Yoshi - white, flat, egg-shaped with green polka dots.  
Mario - mushroom with talking piece and dial pad on the stem, and hearing piece under cap.  
Link - regular phone with Triforce symbol at the back.  
Fox - none, attached to his headset.  
Samus - round phone with outside pattern resembling the Chozo symbol (screw attack).  
Kirby - regular phone, pure pink with yellow stars.  
Pikachu - similar to Poke-Gear (from Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal).


	8. Milo's Inspiration

Thanks to **Poet Bucky **and** I.K.A. Valian **for the reviews, these two seem to come through with good advice every time. So now, we've reached the climax of our story, where the final battle is about to begin. We're going to see a lot more fighting action from several Smashers, and Milo's internal struggle and inspiration to continue fighting is openly revealed.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"So they want another attack, a desperate attack," Brendan pointed out as the Smashers gathered in his house in an emergency meeting with Yoshi, Milo and Ashley. After Yoshi and Milo reported the street gang planning an assault on the Yoshi Store to get resources and funds, and on the orphanage to get new recruits, the Smashers realized they had to intervene.

The Smashers all sighed, remaining absolutely silent as they pondered on the eve of another battle. It seemed like every route they took was a dead end, as these urchins were keen on a fight while everybody wanted to prevent hurting them. "And putting Milo at the orphanage would only endanger him more, right?" Mario asked.

"Well, sooner or later he'll have to go back. We don't have legal guardianship over him, that's for sure," Yoshi replied, his body slouched on a chair in the dining room table. Other than when his father was hospitalized due to the smoke bomb exploding in his face, Yoshi had never been that worried or upset before. He had spent so much time with Milo to convince the orphans to take up a new life. While some were intent on readjusting their lives with Milo's help, others were declaring an all-out war. And in it all, Yoshi and his family were caught in between.

"I'm guessing you'll be calling Jack real soon, right?" Samus asked Brendan, "I know he'll probably be involved in this some way. What role will he play this time?"

Brendan stared at the floor, his lips pursed tightly. "I don't even know what I want to say to Jack. I know it's best we let the police handle it, but Milo still wants another chance to change some of those orphans. Both my wife and I want Milo to be happy, that's all."

Link took a deep breath. "The most important factor should be the safety of the orphans. Fox and I saw the conditions those kids were in, and the last thing we want is for them to stay down there. If stopping the assault will make it happen, then maybe calling in the police is a good idea," he described.

Milo's head shot up. "Wait, you don't mean that, do you? Tell me you're joking, and that you have another plan in mind, please!" he begged, his puppy dog eyes showing.

"I have to agree with Link, Milo," Kirby chimed in, "As if sending the bomb and making you steal the money at the celebration wasn't enough, now he's telling the street urchins to steal, assault, and kidnap others just to get his way? There's no doubt that the police must be involved."

"You've already done lots, almost more than what you can handle. You managed to convince an entire group of orphans to return to the orphanage, even as their hostage," Pikachu added, "what more do you hope to accomplish this time?"

Milo shook his head. "It's to do with Bryce's involvement with the leader's plans. Bryce leads most of our missions and has the leader's trust and respect, more than anyone else. The plan to kidnap me was his idea, and it actually started when he made visited the orphanage days before. I know I'm taking a huge risk, but knowing that Bryce is a pretty smart guy, I know he can be better off if he leaves the streets as well, and I'm making it my role to bring him back," he decided determinedly.

This shocked everybody, as none of them expected Milo to keep reforming the orphans, especially one who had been relatively harsh on him. Now it was their turn to ask: was Milo truly serious about this noble yet ambitious goal of correcting Bryce? But there would be no hesitation from the youngster, who gave the Smashers a clear view of his game face. Ever since he assigned himself the role of helping the orphans rehabilitate, Milo had worn his ball cap backwards, showing his face and eyes more clearly. This was opposite to what he was like last week, where he did whatever possible to hide his mug from others. "I was given a second chance when Yoshi offered to hear me out, so the least I can do is give the same chance to the others, even Bryce," he stated.

"Milo, I'm all for helping these kids. But don't you think you're taking it too far? What guarantee do you have that any one of them, including your former leader, would be willing to listen, especially with them still seeing you as a traitor?" Fox asked.

"But it's like Yoshi said: it was a chance that he took to forgive. I've spent a lot of time with him in the past few days, and what he's done really inspired me. And after he introduced his father and his uncle to me, I realize that we're not that different at all. So I thought if Yoshi can change my life, why can't I change others' lives too?" Milo retorted, "I'm not backing down from this move, so if you do care about me, then you shouldn't stop me."

"But Milo, there's still no guarantee that you won't be in danger," Ashley pointed out, "won't it more sense if you had the police present, just in case anything happens?"

"The police can ensure nobody gets hurt, but I want Bryce to be left to me," Milo replied. The tone of his voice was a clear contrast to that of a week ago, when he was so insecure that he didn't dare to look others in the eye most of the time. Yoshi especially recalled when Link and Fox grilled Milo after they followed the boy and the dinosaur into the sewers, that Milo was completely slouched on the bench. Now, sitting tall and straight, his eyes staring directly at the group and his arms slightly clenched in a determined pose, it felt like nothing could stop Milo.

But it would be the person who gave Milo the same determination to change the orphans who offered the last words of encouragement. "I agree with everything you've said," Yoshi told the boy, "we're really not that different, and I promise to support your decision, both as a Smasher and as a friend. But don't be afraid to call for help if you want it," the dinosaur put a hand on Milo's shoulder as he continued, "regardless of what happens, I'm very proud of your decision, and I'm honoured to call you my friend."

Milo returned with a smile, and the two pulled close to each other for another tight hug, one that both sides knew came from the heart. "Come on, let's get you back to the orphanage," Yoshi said, "I'm sure they'll be wondering why you were gone for so long. Besides, we have to tell them about the invasion tomorrow."

Ashley offered to drive Milo back while the Smashers all prepared to leave for their hotel. That left Brendan as the only one in the house, as he offered to discuss the events of tomorrow with Jack. "At least he has the right to know, so he can prepare for this," he informed everyone, who nodded in agreement as he picked up the phone.

* * *

The only people left in Jack's unit at this time of the night were Jack and a couple of the more senior officers, going over the most recent details of their smuggling case. They had compelling evidence to lay charges on Langston's gang, and connecting that to the street urchins that Yoshi and Milo brought in after their attack on Ashley's restaurant. But even then, there was concern among some of the team members about their progress. "I don't like the looks of this, Sarge. It's true that your friend's nephew made a dent in the street gangs by bringing in a truckload of urchins, but there's no guarantee they won't recruit again," one officer pointed out.

"That's what everybody's thinking, but we do have reason to be optimistic, since the orphanage isn't in nearly as bad shape as it was a decade ago," Jack replied, remembering the times when the orphanage was falling apart at the seams, "but with Lane Jackson on the loose, added to his questionable psychological assessment, I don't think we can rule anything out right now. We'll just have to hope for the best."

The officers were silent as they mulled this over. They were all aware of the way Jack described how these gang leaders recruit young members, especially those in less fortunate situations. They knew Jackson manipulated the orphans by convincing them he would offer a better life for them outside the orphanage when the orphanage was most vulnerable. Under the fake ideals of solidarity and honour, he put the children to work for him, doing all sorts of illegal activities ranging from petty crimes to get resources necessary to sustain their group, to smuggling expensive goods for smuggling rings and gain the money for his own twisted game of revenge against the orphanage. And as these events happened, the children were kept in Third World living conditions, and subject to all sorts of abuse.

"And don't forget how he would desert the kids the second we invade. These kids get hung out to dry, losing all their self-respect, and finding out they were forced to believe in a lie while Jackson bails on them," Jack continued, " knowing Jackson, he's awfully good at manipulating them to do what he wants them to do."

The two officers sighed, with the one pointing out possible recruitment burying his face in his hands. The other officer, however, seemed more anxious and impatient, wanting to leave for the night. "No point in stewing in our own juices here, so we might as well go home and think about it tomorrow," he suggested, packing his files away. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he left the table and moved towards the door.

Jack glanced at the other officer, who seemed just as helpless. Signalling to the door, the staff sergeant dismissed him. Jack reorganized the files on his desk as the officer closed the door, stressed out from thinking about all the gaps in the case. It had not been fun for Jack's family either, as he came home late almost every night, and had very little time to speak with his wife and son. He had to use every ounce of energy to prevent this case from taking over his mind completely, which would drive him insane.

But just as he prepared to depart, his phone rang, sending a shrill sound cutting through the air and making the staff sergeant just that much more irritated. Originally, he pondered letting it go and having the caller leave a message, but something in his mind told him the call might be important. Sighing in frustration, Jack returned to his desk and picked it up. "Staff Sergeant Jack Riley speaking," he greeted the caller.

"Jack, it's Brendan. I know it's late, but there's something really important I need to discuss with you," his friend and former teammate said frantically, "Yoshi and Milo overheard some plans by the street urchins for some large-scale invasion of sorts, and they plan to thwart them. But first, they'll have to get your help."

Suddenly, Jack's mood changed. Instead of being frustrated and tired, he became excited and eager. Charging back to his desk, he pulled out a pen and notepad. "Say that again," he instructed Brendan, "What did you hear? Where did you hear it? Who, where, and when are they attacking? And what do Yoshi and Milo plan to do?"

"Yoshi and Milo heard that they were going to invade my store, and then sneak over to the orphanage through the underground," Brendan explained, "they plan to get as many orphans to shift over to their side as possible. I'm not sure how they'll do it, but I wouldn't put it past them on doing nasty things that put Milo and the other orphans in harm's way. We want your help in assisting the orphanage's security tomorrow."

"What about your store? You're not going to let them raid you, right?" Jack asked, "And what about Milo? If he's at the orphanage, will they abduct him again?"

"I'm not sure," Brendan responded, "but Milo said he has a plan, the Smashers promise to be there to help him any way possible. But you're going to be involved; the main question is what role will you be expected to play."

* * *

The next morning, everything seemed normal as Brendan unlocked his store. He repeated his usual routine of checking the back storage for all his goods, and marched around the aisles to ensure everything was stacked properly. The fact that there was the invasion was still at the back of his mind, but there was very little he could do about it, given the Smashers were not here yet. Link, Fox, Kirby and Pikachu promised to help guard the area with Brendan while Mario, Samus and Yoshi would wait for the group to advance to the orphanage, with Jack meeting up with them even later on.

The current silence in the store made Brendan feel uncomfortable as he rotated his short arms around his shoulder cuffs for warmth. His small hands were sweaty with perspiration and his eyes darted back and forth, wondering when the street gang would show up. He had to admit that he was nervous on his first day back on the job, especially after the explosion during the celebration. He tried to prevent paranoia from taking over his mind while he tended to his store, but sometimes he felt it was a losing battle.

Suddenly, he heard clanging from the storage room, signalling to him that the street gang had arrived and were picking his lock from the back door. Realizing he had limited time, Brendan sneaked out the front door, letting it close slowly and gently as to avoid making any noise. Tiptoeing to the back alley, he had a perfect view of them; the oldest one, Bryce, crouched at the door working at the pick. Knowing that they would use speed in the raid, Brendan had doubts about how much longer he could stall before his friends arrived. "Where are you guys?" he muttered frantically.

Just then, there was a click, as Bryce managed to move the lock and pull open the back door. Brendan sucked in his breath as he addressed the group, telling them what specific items to look for. The large dinosaur was so focused on the events ahead of him that he did not even notice the Smashers trotting down the street, heading towards his way. This is it, I have to act, he thought. Even if he had to hurt the orphans, it was a chance he had to take, as the window of opportunity was narrowing before his eyes.

Just as he was about to advance, a gloved hand was placed onto his shoulder, halting Brendan completely. "Brendan, what's going on? What's the hurry?" Fox asked as he tried to glance over the large dinosaur. To the Smashers, it was odd for Brendan to be outside, as he was expected to act like nothing had happened. That way, the street urchins didn't expect anything was coming, and gave the Smashers a great opportunity.

Brendan waved his hands to silence his friends, and snapped his head towards the direction of the alley. The Smashers looked in just in time to see the urchins sneak into the storage room. "Alright, this calls for a change in strategy. Kirby and Pikachu will take the storage room door from the inside and prevent them from escaping, while Fox and I will go in from the alley. That way, we can box them in entirely," Link explained, "and Brendan will stay close to the front door to keep them in here. Do what we can while Yoshi and the others meet up with Jack."

Splitting up, the four Smashers went their separate ways, with Brendan staying outside the store and whipping out his cell phone. He dialled the number for Jack's office while keeping an eye on Kirby and Pikachu as they marched through the aisles as quickly and quietly as possible. The puffball and rodent camped right outside the storage room, glancing in just as Link and Fox stuck their heads through the back door.

All they could see was a mad frenzy, like hyenas rushing at a rotting carcass. Orphans of all ages and sizes tore through the storage room, grabbing as many items as their bags, cloths, and arms allowed them to carry. Bryce stood in the middle, scanning the group like a field marshal. All individuals were pretty oblivious to the Smashers spying on them, which gave the Smashers the strategic advantage. Kirby and Pikachu nodded at Link and Fox, who motioned to them in the direction they would attack. Seeing the timing was right, the Smashers were set the spring in.

Kirby blasted through into the storage room brandishing his hammer. He smacked the closest urchins next to him, causing the youngster to drop all the goods. "You're now surrounded," Kirby called, "give up now and nobody gets hurt."

That caused a panic among the more inexperienced group, who merely dropped most of their items and tried to flee almost blindly. The rampaging stampede played into the hands of Pikachu, who remained low to the floor and sent out weak jolts of electricity, creating a ground-based Thunder Wave attack that paralyzed the feet and lower legs of the children. The electric mouse warned, "Don't make me send stronger shocks at you."

This ended up putting Bryce in complete damage control mode, as he still needed some urchins to go to the orphanage with him to take on Milo. "Stand your ground, keep your items with you, don't run off just because they're the Smashers," he called from above the fray. He grabbed and clutched at every orphan near him, trying to prevent them from running off with the loot. While he managed to get the attention of a few around him, he was totally unaware of Link rumbling in from the back. Before he knew it, he was slammed from the back, going facedown onto the ground as the strong Hylian tackled and pinned him. "You're not going anywhere," Link snarled, using his stronger upper body to his advantage, "at least not until the police arrives."

Bryce tried to wriggle free against Link, but was getting increasingly fatigued by the iron grip of the Hylian. Like an animal clamped by a hunter's trap, the leader of the field group had nowhere to go, and his team was being neutralized before his eyes. With Kirby knocking the urchins to the ground and Pikachu sending electric shocks to paralyze their feet, they were being out-battled, and Fox still didn't have to move from the back door yet. Thinking quickly, he needed to distract Link somehow so he could at least get away with some goods. Eyeing the corner of the room, he saw a stack of flour bags, and with still a few moving orphans near him, he had the perfect plan.

Bryce positioned himself to face the corner. Just when one of the orphans dashed in his direction, trying to escape Kirby and Pikachu, Bryce swung at his legs, making him lose balance and topple on top of him. Calculating the timing perfectly, Bryce twisted the top part of his body sideways, the violent swerve causing Link, who held onto his legs, to buck wildly, and right into the tumbling orphan. Street urchin and Hylian hero slammed into each other, landing in a pile of bodies. Bryce managed to wiggle out of the way, and gave Link a kick to the side for good measure. "Nobody can stop me," he spat angrily.

While Link and the urchin tried to untangle themselves, Bryce raced into the corner and grabbed two flour bags. He didn't get very far before a certain fighter pilot intercepted him. "Forgot about me?" Fox sneered, "We're defending this store no matter what, and your plan to attack the orphanage won't succeed either."

Bryce's eyes flashed in anger, determined to let nothing stop him. Swinging one of the flour bags, he tried to nail the Cornerian pilot on the head. But that proved to be fruitless, as the other bag caused him to tumble sideways. Fox easily dodged the shot and whipped his leg around, sweeping Bryce right off his feet and onto the ground. The teen landed with a sickening thud, his sternum and ribcage taking the brunt of the impact.

Fox relaxed his stance, seeing he had the advantage right now. He kept a hand on Bryce's body, making sure he stayed on the ground while turning around to check on his Hylian friend. But Link didn't look like someone slowly getting up in ease; rather, it almost seemed like the street urchin was tying him down, even though Bryce was the one who hauled down his own man to disable Link. "Link, you okay in there?" Fox asked.

Just as Fox turned his head, Bryce managed to get just enough room to grab a bag of flour. He raised it up and flung it at Fox's head, catching the vulpine's attention at the last second. Knowing that his reflector was strongest around his body and not his head, Fox ducked out of the way, pulling his hand slightly from Bryce's body, giving him just enough room to roll away. Grabbing the other bag, he elbowed the still-moving Fox aside, snarling to him, "You want solidarity? How about the same guy I knocked over helping me distract Link while I make off with the goods we'll be sharing tonight?" He bolted for the door, shouting to the street urchins to grab as much as possible as they left.

In their last ditch effort, Kirby and Pikachu were swarmed at the last second. Given their relatively light weights, each were both grabbed by two orphans and thrown back through the storage room door. It didn't matter the street gang that the two smaller Smashers were potential threats; now that they all recovered from temporary paralysis, all that mattered was that they got to leave, and they were willing to take a chance on being injured by the puffball and the mouse. Meanwhile, the orphan on Link managed to get the angle on the more muscular Hylian, twisting his limb just the right way to immobilize him. As Link hollered in pain, the member grabbed a couple of items and, along with the others, dashed out the door, hoping to hop back into the safety of the dark sewers.

But before anyone could take another step, an egg bomb whistled through the air and exploded at the feet of those exiting last. The members were blown off their feet as Bryce slammed the store's back door shut, only to see an angry-looking genetically mutated dinosaur glaring at him. "Last time you were here, you caused an explosion," Brendan growled, "now it's my turn to do the bombing."

Brendan produced another couple of eggs and prepared to pepper the group. Bryce cursed under his breath as he realized he was running out of time. Grabbing the nearest street urchins, he pushed them into the line of fire while running to the movable dumpster. The first bomb sailed out of his left hand and was a bullet heading straight for them. It exploded at their feet, rocking them off balance as Bryce pushed the dumpster right in front of the back door. The heavy container effectively blocked the Smashers from exiting the store to the alley, and prevented the explosion from blowing Bryce back.

Bryce ducked down to pick up his bag and the sacks of flour just as Brendan released the second egg bomb. Bryce could feel it sizzling through the air as it aimed straight for his head. Grabbing one of the bags of flour, he lifted it at the last second, blocking the explosion and preventing any damage to his face. The hit burst the flour bag open, sending the white, powdery material into the air and creating a strange white mist.

As the group coughed and waved their hands in the air, Brendan took the chance to burst through in the cover and grabbed the nearest urchins with his tongue, turning them into large eggs and effectively neutralizing them. The genetically mutated dinosaur could hear the Smashers banging on the back door, trying fruitlessly to get out. He moved sideways, away from the flour cloud and towards the door. "It's blocked from here, try getting out from the front!" he shouted, banging back to signal his point.

Brendan's move to the side also gave Bryce enough time to crawl out from the frost-like flour that smothered his body. His face and front side milky white, the teen managed to get back onto his feet and slowly stagger away. His head was still woozy as he surveyed the scene, realizing that most of the frontlines had been put into eggs, and items they grabbed from storage was littered across the ground. With Brendan still at the door and the Smashers needing to take the longer route out, Bryce decided to take off with as much as he could. Despite the bag being his most important item, he made sure to grab the unexploded flour bag with him, as it was crucial to his strategy of losing the Smashers. He could hear the sounds of the front door opening, and quick footsteps clapping against the pavement as the Smashers hurried down to the alley.

But just as he got his belongings, Brendan turned around and had a perfect view of him. The flour cloud had cleared up quite a bit, and Bryce was face to face with the shopkeeper. They stared down each other as the large dinosaur zeroed in on him. Despite having his baseball career ended with a broken leg and hip injury, Brendan still possessed some speed, and could easily outrun Bryce, who had a bag slung over his shoulder and a sack of flour under his arm. And with the Smashers coming in any second now, he would soon be surrounded again. Bryce sidestepped backwards and went near to one of the large eggs. It wiggled slightly, meaning it had weakened enough to allow the street urchin inside to break it open. Suddenly, Bryce had an idea.

"Hey Brendan, since you're so keen on copying your nephew's cheap egg-laying trick, why not try and catch me with it?" he taunted the former baseball player. He could see that Brendan was getting frustrated as they still had a fair distance away, but with the positional advantage, Bryce could take the chance and beat out Brendan to the alley.

Then, out of Brendan's expectation, Bryce dashed forward and shoulder checked him, causing Brendan to tumble backwards. Brendan took a few steps before replanting his feet, and saw Bryce pivoting around the egg, ready to dash off. Brendan was forced to use the egg lay attack, stretching his tongue out trying to grab the teen. But Bryce's plan worked to perfection, as he timed the turn just as the egg broke. Instead of attaching itself to Bryce, Brendan's tongue latched onto the emerging street urchin, pulling him back into another egg. As Brendan swallowed, it gave Bryce enough time to rush back and swung his bag hard at the dinosaur's head. The metal cans inside contacted Brendan's skull, causing Brendan to stagger backward and stumble over the egg he just laid.

As Brendan's large body rolled from sight, the Smashers were revealed standing at the alley. Despite being outnumbered, it didn't deter Bryce from continuing to hold back the enemy. Moving to the broken sack of flour on the ground, he kicked it hard to the Smashers' direction, creating another white cloud as he dashed off. Meanwhile, the remaining eggs around cracked open, freeing the orphans from the encasements. They scurried around the alley grabbing whatever they could as the Smashers wheezed in the dust. "Change strategy, just grab the orphans and forget about Bryce," Fox coughed.

The Smashers hurried into the alley, grabbing as many orphans as possible. Kirby used his suction while Pikachu resorted to Thunder Wave again. Link, operating without weapons, used his strength and lifted kids into the air. But as they salvaged whatever remained, there was one thing in their minds: Bryce. "We let him get away," Link murmured, "I can only hope Yoshi and Milo would be alright on their side."

* * *

At the orphanage, Mario, Samus, Yoshi and Milo waited patiently for members from Jack's unit to arrive when the shrill ring of a cell phone interrupted the peace. The three Smashers checked their communication devices and it was Yoshi whose piece was alerting him. "It's my uncle," he stated monotonously, flipping the phone open and bringing it to his ear as a look of concern spread across his face.

"Yoshi, the street urchins just invaded, and we couldn't muster enough to keep them all at bay," Brendan explained, partly hyperventilating, "Bryce and a few others made off with some goods while we're keeping those we caught at the store. Can you get some of Jack's officers over?"

Yoshi's eyes grew larger as Milo and the two Smashers looked on eagerly. "Uncle Brendan, they're on their way here. If Jack and his group split now, we might not have enough help. Are you sure that's a good idea?" he retorted.

"There's something here with these orphans that may be useful to Jack," Brendan responded, "we broke their code of silence, and now they're revealing more information than ever. I want him down here to hear it for himself."

Yoshi looked at his friends in exasperation. They were so close in their plan, but still Bryce managed to escape. Hearing stories from Milo, he discovered that Bryce, being the field leader and concoctor of most of the plans, was very mobile, agile, and was not afraid to turn anything around him into a weapon. With MacGyver Jr. sneaking in and wreaking havoc, they had to stay alert. "I can't abandon my post right now, and Jack's nowhere in sight," Yoshi replied, frustrated at his uncle's situation, "Can this wait a few minutes? If not, what else can I do?"

There was relative silence from the other line as Brendan discussed this change of plans with the others. Yoshi waited nervously, his eyes peeled for all possible entrances for the arrival of the street gang. The same look of uneasiness was mimicked by the faces of Mario, Samus and Milo. Seconds felt like hours as the deliberations continued on the other side, with Yoshi and company wondering when they would have any confirmation on their new plans.

Finally, Brendan returned to his conversation with his nephew. "Alright, we'll keep them here for as long as possible. But once Jack and his unit arrive, have a few of them come to the store. In the meantime, if you really need help, I'll send over Link and Fox while asking your aunt to step away from prep work at the restaurant," he proposed.

Yoshi was about to get a consensus from Mario and Samus when Milo called from the door. While Brendan explained his plan to Yoshi on the phone, Milo moved himself to the door frame, and now he was about to reveal why. "Yoshi, some of the other kids said they saw Bryce's group coming out of the sewers in the alley across the street, and they're heading this way right now," he reported frantically.

The three Smashers nodded at each other. Yoshi quickly ended his call with Brendan and moved out with Mario and Samus. "We won't break our promise, and will let you take on Bryce," Yoshi assured Milo, preparing for the confrontation, "although with this situation, I doubt that Bryce would be alone and let you go one-on-one with him."

But to their surprise, Bryce and his group was nowhere to be found in the front foyer. Rather, they were back at the side alley where Bryce had kidnapped Milo from, an odd move as it was the place with the highest security. Even before they got to the area, the Smashers could already see orphanage staff round up children and shooing them back inside. Soon, it would be the Smashers versus the street gang, with no help for either side.

"Milo Sullivan," Bryce's eyes narrowed to darts as he honed in on the youngster, "I figured you would be here, and indeed you're too cowardly to even let the orphans see me. Adding that title to the existing 'traitor,' I say that doesn't make you look good."

"You can beat on that term all you want, I won't let it affect me anymore," Milo retorted, staring back at Bryce. It was also the first time that Milo spoke to Bryce without having his ball cap cover half his eyes. By wearing it backwards, he was letting Bryce see the fully fury of his eyes, signifying that the years of abuse suffered by Milo at the hands of the street gang was about to be evened up. "I'm not letting you bring anyone back to the sewers, so leave at once before the police come and arrest you again."

Bryce smirked defiantly, but turned his eyes away from Milo. Instead, he glanced at Mario and Samus, who went into the sewers when Bryce made his escape. "You know, two of your friends were present when the leader proposed a simple idea. He said that anyone who felt they would have a better life outside of the group can leave with the Smashers at once. Those two were there, along with the elf and the fox," he paced out to the open, putting himself front and centre as he continued showing off that smug look, "and oddly enough, nobody left. Maybe it's because your friends didn't make a strong enough case, or was it because you really are pathetic in choosing to leave us?"

Milo's breathing became deeper and quicker, and his hands quickly clenched and unclenched. He realized the teen had no intention of addressing his point, so Milo tried appealing to the orphans with Bryce. "Think about this: this is a group that leaves its own members behind. This is a leader that keeps us in terrible living conditions and gives us barely enough food to survive, but asks us to do hard and illegal tasks. And Bryce himself kidnapped me out of the orphanage to make me a human shield against Yoshi and his family. What more proof do you want?" Milo challenged the group, "I've found out from Yoshi that the sewers shouldn't be a life for us, and I'm willing to help everyone who has gotten out. I strongly urge you all to do the same."

"And the fact that you left us behind was of no importance?" Bryce retorted, "I say you shouldn't be condemning anyone when you're the one who ran out, abandoned our group, and betrayed us when the leader gave you a second chance to redeem yourself before him." Bryce turned to the group before him and gave the same preposition as his leader: anyone who wanted to leave could stay at the orphanage right now. Bryce gave Milo a smirk as he waited for the results, knowing very well that he would win again.

And indeed, the results appeared in Bryce's favour as nobody from his side took an inch forward. Milo's posture nearly deflated as he and the Smashers were handed two consecutive and identical defeats. While Milo's back hunched up, Bryce was standing tall and proud like a statue, puffing out his chest as he prepared to claim victory. "See, no one will view you as credible because you really are a traitor. We've made a bigger difference in the kids' lives. They're much better off with us than in that terrible orphanage."

But almost unknown to everyone, the back door of the orphanage creaked open, and an orphan slowly stepped out. He was around Milo's age, and some of the street urchins with Bryce recognized him as one of their later recruits who was handed over to police after the failed infiltration attempt into Ashley's restaurant. "I was just at the door peeking through the entire time, and I disagree with what Bryce said," he meekly stated.

The quiet tone sounded more like a deafening roar to the Smashers and the street gang, as the youngster captured all their attention. "I also heard some of those stories about how bad the orphanage is, but everything has changed now," he described, "there isn't any of that shunning by the staff that you and the leader mentioned, everyone had been taking the time to help us adjust, and I've even made some friends with some kids not in our group. It's the first time in years since I've felt that happy before."

Then, like dominos collapsing on one another, all the former street urchins that were taken inside for safety stepped back out, much to the orphanage security's dismay. They all had stories to tell, and all were in support of Milo's idea. From getting cleaned daily, to getting warm food and shelter, to living without fear of being caught by police, to downright being able to feel happiness again, every single story was to convince the street gang to change their ways. Standing in the middle of all this, Milo was in shock. "Guys, why are you doing all this?" he asked in surprise.

"Because we feel we shouldn't be living a lie anymore," the original orphan that stepped out replied, "for years we've been in that sewer, being told that anything outside is bad. Now, we see there's way more to the outside world than what our leader said, and that's why we're supporting you to make sure no other kids make the same mistake."

Milo smiled, a warm expression spreading across his face. He was like the sun breaking out from the clouds, spreading its heat to all those around. "Then I won't let you down," he decided. Turning back to Bryce, he issued the challenge again, "you claim you gave everyone a choice, but it's clear that we all chose a life away from the underground. Now, if you want to wreak havoc, then you better get through us. Get through all of us."

* * *

And there it is, the final battle. What will happen? Can Milo take on Bryce's group and win? Will Link, Fox and Jack make it in time? And what role does their leader (Lane Jackson) have in all this? Stay tuned and find out...


	9. Prelude to the Final Battle

"Those Two" (**I.K.A. Valian** and **Poet Bucky**) are still my most frequent supporters so far, and for that you deserve a lot of credit. No other Smashers will be involved in this fic, but I'm open to the idea of having everyone in Brawl (including Sonic and Snake, even though I think they're not deserving) and more to be there for future WGU stories. We'll see what happens then. But for this chapter, please look for references to Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Starfox Command. I thought things that occurred in those games really suited this chapter well.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

The faceoff between Bryce's street gang and Milo and his orphan friends reached a standstill as each side stared the other down. Bryce's plans of ambushing Milo failed as the orphans came outside and spoke in support of Milo, putting the gang leader in an awkward position. And it didn't help that the Smashers were present, ready to use their superior fighting skills to defend Milo or the orphans should Bryce attack at this time.

But Bryce decided to call the bluff, despite his obvious disadvantage here. "We're not listening to this. Milo thinks he can stop us by acting all saintly, but he's nothing more than a coward. Group, let's get our old team members back!" he ordered.

The Smashers all got into fighter stances as Bryce was about to charge forward. But to everyone's surprise, he was the only one who approached the fence, as all the other street urchins stayed back. Bryce paused after a few steps, and then glared at his group, shocked and angered by their refusal to cooperate. "Come on, what are you guys waiting for?" he demanded, "Let's finish this job and get out of here, now!"

But the children refused to budge, only staring on as Bryce grew frantic. It was like as if they were under a spell, their bodies frozen and their feet nailed to the ground. Bryce marched back swiftly, taking long strides as a frown dawned onto his face. He smacked each urchin and snapped his fingers before their faces, trying to bring their attentions back. "Hello, we still have a mission to do here? This is no time to break."

Instead of the usual response of obedience, the street urchins slowly turned on Bryce. "It's clear that the orphanage isn't the bad place you envisioned, so you must be lying when you said there wasn't any improvement," one person stated.

"We barely have enough to eat down there, and we have to do all this stuff for you?" another urchin called out, "That's the only reason you keep us around, isn't it? To do all your bidding and prevent us from going back? Well what if we want to go back, to a place that isn't as bad as you say and where we can at least get some comfort!"

"You did abandon a few of us at the store, and you purposely put others in the way of the Smashers while you tried to take off. That's not unity and helping each other out," the youngster that Bryce tripped and sent sailing into Link at the Yoshi Store quipped, "and if you're saying the leader's idea of 'those left behind stay behind' works then I'd rather get left behind with Milo. At least he'll let me stay somewhere where I know I won't get killed for speaking my mind!"

The street gang's chirping was making Bryce incensed, but was music to Milo's ears. His grin spread from ear to ear as he realized that his ambitious goal of getting the urchins to reform their ways was well on its way. Standing bravely before Bryce, Milo announced his intention in a clear, strong voice, "I'm going to bring them into the orphanage. I'm going to tell the staff that they're the missing orphans from years back, and that they're prepared to join us again. If you want to be part of our group, then come join us. But if you still want to be on the streets, making trouble and hurting others, then I'll let the police and the Smashers take you out. And eventually, they'll take out our former leader as well, so don't think hiding behind his back will help you this time," he warned.

Despite being boxed in, Bryce still refused to give in. The Smashers could see the teen hyperventilating, his shoulders bobbing up and down as he seethed in anger. Never before had one of his subordinates not only outsmarted but outmanoeuvred him. "If you think you can win, then you're just being premature," he hissed. He shoved a few street urchins out of the way as he bore down at Milo like a raging bull.

But that blow never came as Mario pulled out his cape and whipped him with it. Bryce was turned completely around and ended up slamming into his team, creating a massive pile of bodies on the ground. Mario calmly put the cape away and approached the group, untangling a few members before grabbing Bryce by the shirt. Lifting him up, he pushed him against the fence and pinned him there. "You're not bothering any of these kids again, is that clear?" he warned, his tone dripping with acid as he jabbed a finger in Bryce's face, "When the police arrives, you can explain to them what this is all about."

Bryce glared at the two Smashers before him, with Mario directly in front and grabbing onto him, while Yoshi moved up from the side. Both stared daggers at him as they kept him in one place. The only Smasher not paying attention to him was Samus, who was too busy untangling the urchins and checking for bumps and bruises. "We should probably get orphanage staff out here, no?" she suggested, "I think it would be best to have them handle their injuries, since these kids are willing to stay now."

That line alone got the two Smashers looking away, turning to Samus for a second and away from Bryce. Just as Mario loosened his grip, Bryce took advantage of the situation and twisted Mario's arm around, reversing positions on the plumber. As Mario was caught off guard, Bryce pushed him in Yoshi's direction and slammed the two to the ground. It happened so fast that Samus couldn't even pull her weapon in time. Although she had no intention to shoot her gun, she wanted to use the glowing beam to tie down Bryce. Negotiating her way through the children, she tried to get a clear shot at Bryce.

The screen of bodies before her limited her vision and gave Bryce precious seconds to get away. "Everyone, duck your heads," she called. As the children scattered, she could see Bryce bent over, grabbing his bag and the flour sack. This was the perfect opportunity for the ambush, and Samus wasn't about to let it slide. Taking a deep breath, she reeled back and cast the beam out like a fishing line, hoping to hook onto her catch. All the pressure was on her shoulders as she attempted this only chance to stop him.

But years of spending life in the underground made Bryce more aware of his surroundings, and his improved hearing could locate the sizzling of the beam cutting through the air. Just at the last second, he swung around and put the flour sack right into the beam, making Samus grip the large object rather than his body. Bryce released the sack as Samus pulled back, and the bounty hunter knew she was doomed. The heavy sack sailed through the air, heading straight for her head. Like a meteor slamming into the planet, the heavy sack collided with her minimal armour, sending her crashing backwards just as Mario and Yoshi untangled themselves. The violent crash sent Samus into the two, knocking them back onto the ground and entangling them once more.

While the team of street urchins were too shocked to move and the orphans were running back inside to get help, Milo sprung into action. Dashing out of the side entrance and into the streets again, he tailed Bryce as closely as his legs could take him. It didn't matter that his former field leader had longer legs and was generally faster; all that mattered to Milo was that he caught Bryce before he could go back into the sewers. "I can't let everyone down, not when we're so close to succeeding," he panted to himself.

Just as the chase made its way into the mouth of the alley, Link and Fox made a turn around the corner, just in time to see Bryce power his way into the dark area, and Milo following close behind. Suspicious, they decided to have one person stay close and observe the situation. "Something probably happened at the orphanage. One of us should go there while the other keeps an eye on Bryce and Milo," Fox suggested.

"You're faster than me, so you get yourself down to the orphanage," Link replied, "I'll keep track of these two. I have a feeling something dramatic is about to happen."

Link tiptoed his way into the alley, keeping his back flat against his wall and his face out of sight just as Milo called Bryce out. "I know you're somewhere in here," he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls, "All you've said about me in front of the others was 'coward, coward, coward.' But yet you only do it behind the comfort and safety of the sewers. I suggest you prove to me you're not one and come out to face me," his posture and tone were in stark contrast of his days as a street urchin.

Link looked on with interest as Milo continued standing alone in the middle of the alley, almost like the stage of a theatre. Shades of Phantom of the Opera came to mind as the Hylian thought about where Bryce would appear from to ambush Milo. All the nooks and crannies in the alley made the Hylian cringe, as he considered Milo unsafe in any position. "Keep your eyes and ears open, Milo. You never know what might happen," he murmured, although in a tone too soft for the boy to hear.

Suddenly, a shadow moved from across the backdrop and darted straight for Milo. Link turned his head just in time to see Bryce emerge from the back, making a beeline for the younger child. "Milo, look out!" he shouted, hoping the ball cap donning boy would notice and jump out of the way in time.

But it was too late, as Bryce grabbed onto Milo and proceeded to hauling the smaller boy into the sewers. Sensing Milo in trouble, Link jumped into action and tried knocking Bryce off his feet, in hopes that the collision would break Milo out of the grasp. But Bryce would surprisingly remain balance and instead, turned around and smashed Link's face with the bag slung over his shoulder. The Hylian staggered back, covering his nose, which gave Bryce just enough time to run into the sewers and closed the manhole.

"Milo!" Link yelled as he shot back up, going straight to the now closed manhole. He racked his mind furiously as he contemplated going in alone versus returning to the others and telling them of the situation. He couldn't just abandon Milo to fend for himself before Lane and Bryce, but he didn't feel confident that he could take on all those urchins alone and without his tools. Gritting his teeth, he was forced to retreat back to the orphanage. "No matter what you do, stay alive, alright?" he muttered.

* * *

Despite receiving a call from dispatch telling him to hurry, Jack found it difficult to negotiate his large team to two places when their original target was only one. When he was told that the Yoshi Store somewhat thwarted an attack by the street gang and had some of the urchins captured, Jack immediately ordered some cruisers to head for the Yoshi Store, while putting the others on standby. But within minutes of that, they were told that the orphanage was under security alert as Bryce's group was on their way, causing them even more disorganization as they scrambled to meet the other call.

And by the time Jack had reached the orphanage, there was already chaos as a group of children were in the lobby being tended to. Except for a few scrapes and bruises, there didn't seem to be too much damage. But the injured members that caught Jack's eye were three Smashers, seated on the bench nursing various wounds. Samus had an ice pack to her face, Mario had one on his jaw, and Yoshi was rubbing the side of his neck. Shaking his head, the police staff sergeant approached the threesome. "And you call yourselves the Smashers? What's with all this then?" he demanded.

The three Smashers quickly filled Jack in, telling him how Bryce showed up and Milo tried to singlehandedly convince the urchins to give in, with some former members of their gang coming to speak in support of him. "Then a fight broke out and Bryce tried to escape. I tried to use my beam to hook onto him, but he sent a flour sack into the beam and I got it straight in the face," Samus moaned, shifting the pack in discomfort.

"I ended up getting a bruised jaw when Samus' fell onto me, and Yoshi strained his neck in the collision," Mario murmured, sounding like he had a bad tooth with the pack near his mouth, "Milo went after him and we're not sure what happened next. Fox told me Link followed them into an alley, but that's it,"

"I'm really worried about Milo right now," Yoshi stated, trying to stretch the muscle in his neck back to normal, "I don't know if a little kid like him can handle facing off against Lane Jackson. I like his hard-nosed attitude, but he's going to be outsized down there."

Just then, the Cornerian pilot returned to the fold. After reporting that most of the orphans had their cuts and wounds patched up, he told Jack the orphanage would be handing the urchins to police custody for the time being, just to record their histories and backgrounds before being returned to the orphanage for their stay. And as Jack relayed the information to his team, Fox tried assuring Yoshi that everything would be fine. "I have faith in Link," he said, "out of all the Smashers, outside of Falco I get along with and trust him the most, and I know he won't let us down. I'm sure if he can get to Milo before anyone else, not a hair of Milo's head would be damaged. Cheer up, alright?"

And just as his name was mentioned, Link burst onto the scene, hyperventilating as he was bent over. He had to hold onto the back of the bench as he caught his breath, with all the other Smashers and Jack looking on. "They got Milo," the Hylian panted, "I couldn't get him after Bryce took him into the sewers. We have to save him right now."

The Smashers all stared on in shock as Link revealed the news. They knew Bryce was desperate when Milo turned the tables on him earlier, and were totally caught off guard as the teen abandoned the street urchins, fighting off Samus, Mario and Yoshi as he rushed to safety. Now he even took Milo with him? Things just took one crazy turn after another. "Why would he bring Milo with him? It still won't change the fact that he failed this mission," Samus pointed out.

"Milo's a marked man after betraying his group," Mario interrupted, "so Bryce may just take him back to their leader. Who knows what they'll do with him after?"

But Yoshi was not impressed with his friends, who seemed more interested in finding out why Milo was captured instead of the best way to save him. "Guys, this isn't really the time to discuss that matter. Milo's life is in serious danger right now, and we really should get into the sewers and find him!" he snapped at the Smashers.

That brought everyone's attention back down to earth, as each Smasher had a guilty look on their faces. "You're right, we have to save Milo fast," Fox agreed. Placing his hand on his headset, he clicked a couple of buttons to dial for Brendan. "I'll tell Kirby and Pikachu to meet us the sewage entrance from their back alley."

As the Smashers filed out, Link approached Jack and told him to get his unit ready. "Make sure all possible manholes from here to the Yoshi Store are guarded. Should any of those be left unattended, we might see an escape," he instructed.

Jack nodded and radioed all his team members to prepare for their procedure. Link glanced at the orphanage one last time, seeing the orphans get eased into the back and the street gang members herded off to the police cruisers. Although the actions were identical, everyone knew that they were of two different purposes, and how Link wanted to see those entering the cars to be on the positive side of the law again. But first, he must get Milo out of the sewers, and bring Lane and his gang to justice, something that he failed to do when Bryce snatched Milo from under his nose. "I'll make it up to you all, I promise," he whispered, before turning around and hustling out the door.

* * *

By the time the group met up at the manhole in the alley Milo went into earlier, it had already been half an hour. The Smashers and Jack's unit were already worried about the youngster's safety as they discussed a plan to go down. Jack already had all the manholes on the block guarded by officers as they prepared for the attack. "The police won't let any of them slip past us," Jack stated, "each manhole will be handled by officers to capture anyone that goes out, while I'll lead a team down there to flush out the urchins and rescue Milo. They cannot get away this time, so just keep your eyes peeled and we're good."

The Smashers listened in with interest, despite finding out that their roles might not be as big as anticipated. Instead of being in the middle of the action, Jack and his unit relegated them to herding duty, in charge of gathering the urchins and bringing them out to the manholes where the officers outside would apprehend them. They were intent on bringing Lane, Bryce, and all their supporters to justice, after all the pain they had caused given that they were not law enforcement, they had to accept Jack's decision nonetheless.

But one Smasher got increasingly uncomfortable as Jack continued to relay his plan to the rest of his team. Yoshi racked his brain hard, digesting every detail Jack went through as he tried piecing together the grand scheme in his head. So the only way it would work is to keep these urchins within the block so whatever exit they took they would run into an officer, he thought. Somehow, there was something wrong with that plan, but Yoshi couldn't put a finger on it. His face scrunched up, like a vacuum was put on his snout, and his hands covered his chin as the dinosaur went into deep thought.

Yoshi was so focused on his thoughts that everything around him was almost totally shut out. All nearby sounds were just murmurs as he blocked all distractions. Even the person standing next to him didn't sound too clear as he sought to get his point across to Jack "How about Milo, shouldn't we separate him from that group first?" Mario asked.

Suddenly, it dawned on Yoshi. It was when he went down to the sewers with Milo to eavesdrop on Bryce that they found out there were more connections and passages than they originally anticipated. Lifting his head like a sunflower stretching for the sun, Yoshi burst forward and grabbed Jack's uniform. "Jack, you can't go forward with your plan, it'll only end in disaster," he warned, catching the police staff sergeant off-guard, "when Milo and I followed the street gang last night, we heard they planned to use some not as well-known routes. They might go back to those routes to escape, and that'll make your idea of having an officer at every manhole on the block useless."

Jack pulled down his radio and stared at his best friend's nephew. "Did you say there are other escape routes? How many more manholes must we cover?" he demanded.

Yoshi shook his head. "I don't know, but it could mean they could be all over the Chinatown area by the time we're done. There's no telling what route they could take when they're underground," he said desperately.

"Wait, you mean we have to call off our entire operation? That's impossible," Jack retorted, "we're already losing precious time, and if we have to delay it any longer I doubt we can get Milo out of there alive. If you have another plan, tell me now."

The Smashers glanced nervously at each other. Finally, they got their chance to take action in helping these orphans. "We have to go in their headquarters again," Samus stated, "the only way we can get at them is to corner them in one spot. Since we know the route, we'll take this on."

"The police can stay in their current positions right now," Kirby explained, "our surprise attack won't give the gang enough time to plan out their escape routes, so they'll most likely run out those exits that you've guarded. Once they come out, you can still make the arrests, but we'll be in the headquarters making sure they don't harm anyone."

Jack paused for a moment, as it was his turn to gather information and making sure it was alright with everybody. Finally, he nodded his head and radioed his unit, giving them the new orders as the Smashers prepared to go into the underground again. Fox moved to the manhole and lifted the heavy piece of metal off from the ground. Again the dark hole beckoned the Smashers to enter, challenging their every skill as lives were at stake for them to rescue. "Are we ready?" the vulpine asked the group.

Just as the Smashers stepped up to the manhole, two large dinosaurs moved into the alley. "Wait," Brendan called, "we heard that you might be going into the sewers, and my wife and I want to help out as much as we can. Is there anything we can do?"

The Smashers were caught off guard at the outpour of support from the honorary Smasher and his wife. They weren't known to be powerful fighters, but still they insisted on being there for them. "No offense, guys," Pikachu began, "but I'm really not sure what you could be doing, other than be the support group with the police."

But Brendan shook his head emphatically. "My wife and I had a talk about this when Kirby and Pikachu took off. Milo made a difference in our lives too. He was the reason I could redeem my mistakes, and showed me that at least in one orphan's eyes my efforts deserved a second look. We have to give back by helping you rescue him," he decided.

"Both Brendan and I felt it's our debt to Milo for making us reflect. He was dealt a bad hand to begin with, and it's only right that we fix it for him. We saw how much Yoshi cared about Milo and how he inspired Milo to help others. We must make sure that Milo's goal won't be left unfulfilled all because some disillusioned orphan wanted him dead," Ashley chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Yoshi couldn't help but tear up. He spent so much time trying to convince everyone that Milo deserved this chance, and had endorsements of various strengths from the Smashers. But the one approval he had sought the most badly from was from Brendan and Ashley, and this decision by his uncle and aunt showed a ringing, undeniable endorsement. "Thanks, guys. I couldn't ask for more," he stuttered, giving the two large dinosaurs a huge hug. Nothing could take this moment away from their family.

"But first, we have to rescue Milo," Yoshi pointed out, "then we can celebrate." Releasing Brendan and Ashley, he told Jack to come down the sewers with them, and bring a couple of officers if he deemed it necessary. "My aunt and uncle will guard this area, so there's nothing to worry about here. Have some officers cut off the urchins in the sewers, so that they have no choice but to go out those exits guarded by your unit."

Jack nodded. Turning to everyone, he announced, "It's time to go underground, and we can't fail this time." With that, he took the initiative and was the first person to lead the group down the manhole, and into the darkness below.

* * *

"I have news for everyone," Lane Jackson called from his usual position above the central meeting area. He originally assigned Bryce to raid the Yoshi Store and attack the orphanage so there would be enough time for him to come up with another escape plan. But Bryce returned early and insisted on having another group meeting, telling Lane that there was "a great redemption" on their hands. So, reluctantly, the leader of the street gang pulled everyone in and brought them to attention.

The remaining street urchins all gathered in the area and Lane was shocked at just how few of them were still here. He knew that his most skilled and reliable field group had been defeated when Milo turned the tables on them at Ashley's restaurant, and Bryce had to make do with a more inexperienced one. But when Bryce returned all by himself, Lane figured something must have happened to them. But Bryce insisted on doing this deed, whatever it might be, before he gave Lane any information on what happened to his team, and that was not making the leader's life any easier. "He better has an explanation for this, or I'm going to make this really personal," the young man murmured.

The children below were as confused as Lane, as none of them expected this turn of events. Before he left, Bryce told them that their old team members would return, and they would be back to regular operational capacity by day's end. But Bryce hadn't shown his face to them, and they hadn't heard anybody file past when he entered. There was nervous chatter amongst them, wondering if the mission had failed and that they would be left to fend for themselves. Hesitantly, they all turned their gazes upward as the very familiar silhouette of their leader hovered above them, ready to address the crowd.

"Today, I've sent Bryce out to get supplies from the Yoshi Store, and to recruit our former members back to us. Bryce has indeed returned, but all I've received are a few cans and bags in his pack, and no recruits to speak of," Lane reported, "I have, however, been told that he's brought back something very significant, even more important than food or supplies. And he's chosen to reveal this before you all today."

"What could be more important than food?" one urchin shouted from below, "We've been getting little to no food, and there hasn't been anyone who brought back anything. At least in the orphanage they fed us, so why aren't you guys getting it done?"

"I brought you in from that terrible place, so how dare you question what we do?" Lane snapped back, "It's just that Bryce seemed to have a different priority than I do, and is willing to go against my orders to get it. But nonetheless, if it will make a difference for us in the long run, then I say we should still see it. Bryce, come out and show us."

The tension mounted as the urchins waited for Bryce to step out. They had no idea where Bryce was, or where he would be making his entrance. The dripping of liquids from old pipes in the distance was the only sound heard from the area, as each drop felt like it took years to fall. Then suddenly, a soft thumping could be heard from the corner, sounding like someone struggling with dragging a heavy object across the ground. Their heads perked and made small, quick turns, like groundhogs peeking out of the ground in the spring as they tried to locate the sound's source in the dark abyss.

Something finally emerged from the darkness, as two shadowy characters slowly make their way forward and finally into the light. To their surprise, it wasn't just Bryce; rather, he was holding someone hostage and marching that person to the centre in front of him. That someone happened to be a familiar face: Milo Sullivan, the traitor. "This is what I brought back," Bryce announced with a flourish, giving the younger boy a hard shove. Milo landed onto the ground, in the middle of the group.

However, the children were not too impressed by the unveiling. Many of them had been surviving on meagre supplies, and were living more and more uncomfortably ever since their leader told them the police was increasing their search shortly after the bombing at the Yoshi Store. The last thing they needed was their former comrade returning, and without any food either. "Is this a joke? We're starving and being chased by police and all you bring is Milo? What will we do with him?" one person demanded.

The same sentiment was echoed by Lane Jackson, who was downright frustrated with his top lieutenant. "Bryce, I sent your group on a mission to get food and supplies, and what you brought back barely covers what we need in a day. I also asked you to get our old members back, and all you've brought back is the traitor. You better explain yourself before the police starts breathing down our backs," he fumed. From his position, Milo could detect that for the first time there was some fear in Lane's tone.

But Bryce was not about to be denied. "I brought back the traitor, the one who's been bringing our members away to the orphanage. Once we have him under wraps, then who knows how far we can go. Haven't any of you considered that?" he retorted.

Within seconds, Lane's tone turned from agitated to downright angry. "Are you so consumed with getting revenge against Milo that you forgot all of us have to eat, or that our group is slowing down thanks to your incompetence of losing members?" he snapped, "This mission is a total disaster all because of you!"

Bryce was taken aback. Wasn't this the original goal of the group, to tackle the injustices of the orphanage and eliminate any potential supporters for the other side? "I don't get it. I'm doing exactly what we set out to do and you say it's all wrong? Then what do you expect me to do, just sit there and let Milo continue undermining us?"

"There's a time for everything, and right now it's clearly not the right situation for this," the older figure replied, "your job is to bring us supplies and recruits, and yet you brought back the one person I don't want to see. I'll still take him prisoner, but until you go out and get what we need, I won't be satisfied. Now get moving!"

"Get moving? How can I get moving? The operation at the Yoshi Store was cut short when the Smashers attacked me, and there's police all over the orphanage. If I get back out there, they're going to bust me up for sure!" Bryce pleaded his case, "Bringing Milo back is a good strategic move, since keeping him prisoner means he won't affect what we do in the future. We wait until the police leaves, then go get our stuff."

"Are you challenging my judgment here?" Lane angrily responded. Milo winced at the polarization of ideas. It didn't matter who the orphans sided with; as long as they were in the power struggle, they weren't safe. As Lane and Bryce continued their argument, Milo lifted his body from the concrete and signalled to the children, waving at them like a mime and pointing for the door. Some at the front saw the gestures, but were either too confused or too scared to move, making any of Milo's attempts fruitless.

"Must I state the obvious?" Milo murmured. While the two leaders were still engaged in their war of words, Milo crawled to the other side, inching his body forward like trench warfare from World War I. He managed to position himself to the front of the group while keeping low on the ground to prevent his former leaders from spotting him. "Get out of here, it's no longer safe. Get going, now!" he whispered hoarsely at the kids.

"Where do you think you're going?" one voice snapped. Milo turned his head and saw Bryce barrelling down at him. The older teen grabbed the back of Milo's shirt and roughly lifted him off the ground. "So, you think you can manipulate us again? I'll have you killed first before another member of our group goes to that forsaken orphanage!"

The urchins all dispersed, taking several steps backwards in fear as Bryce threw Milo to the ground again. Despite the size disadvantage, the smaller boy remained defiant and stood his ground. "The police are already at the orphanage, and if they find me missing they'll come for you. And the Smashers already know the route here, so it won't be long before they'll rescue everyone." Milo warned.

"It doesn't matter what your friends or the police will do. After we kill you, there won't be any obstacles left to our plan. And our leader agrees with me as well, isn't that right?" Bryce whipped his head upward, hoping there would be concurrence from the figure in the shadows. But surprisingly, the silhouette that was there a minute ago had disappeared. Bryce searched frantically but the leader was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"I want one officer to keep guard right at this area," Jack instructed as he stepped into the end of the main passage from the manhole. Knowing that this would be a main escape route, it would be advantageous to have someone keep an eye on the area. "And I want one officer on either side of this horizontal passage, just to block off the lanes."

As Jack continued giving instructions to his team, the Smashers were busy talking about this fight. Although it was inevitable, many were still shocked that they had to use this last resort. "It almost seems like we have to use force to solve this problem," Kirby stated as they marched down the sewers, "it's not something I take comfort in doing."

But one Smasher had not been too surprised by all this happening. In fact, there was something that Link had already known about that led him to believe there would be a fight. "Remember when we had the Yoshi Store celebration, and I was late coming?" Link recalled, "I was actually fielding a call from Zelda telling me that there may be a battle before we're called back. Although she hasn't told me the details, I figured it's best to keep it in mind. Maybe it's an unexpected test for us to handle a difference situation."

"Why didn't you ask for more details from Zelda then?" Pikachu demanded, "If she does have some prophecies, maybe it'll help us in the long run."

"Hey, if Zelda were here, she'd be the first to tell you that she's not a prophet. She can see some things into the future, but usually it's pretty broken," Link replied, "besides, if we're talking prophets, then it's not my girlfriend that you should refer to, but Fox's." He continued, signalling to the Cornerian pilot just in front of him.

Fox gave an uncomfortable smile. It was true that Krystal had some psychic powers and was generally stronger in pinpointing disasters than Zelda, but they were also going through some rough patches in their relationship right now. "I can only hope that we can work this out, because I have my fair share of enemies and I care for her too much to put her in danger daily like that," he described.

"So is that all you were doing when you were late that day," Samus asked, "It took awfully long fielding a simple phone call like that."

Link seemed hesitant to answer, like there was something that he hoped to save for later as a surprise. But before he could utter another word, Mario raised a hand and halted the group. "I hear something," he whispered. He pressed his hand against the entrance, which was surprisingly openly by a sliver. The plumber pushed it as gently as he could just to get a better view, and to his horror, things were not going well for Milo. "I think they have him hostage, and are doing something nasty to him," he stated.

The Smashers and Jack all glanced in and disbelief spread across to all their faces. There was Milo, almost flat on the ground on his back while Bryce brandished a weapon of sorts over him. And behind him was a taller, older figure, presumably Lane Jackson, pointing another weapon at the two. Although they didn't have the angle to see it clearly, but it seemed like the two were having some type of argument, and Milo was caught right between them. "Those guys better put their weapons away, and Milo better get himself out of there, or else he's in big trouble," Yoshi muttered, wringing his hands worriedly.

"We have to take action," Jack murmured. Reaching for his radio, he informed his unit of the hostage situation. "Get hostage negotiators down here, we might need one if we make contact with them. And for any officer in the sewers, check if there are any other exits to the headquarters. I don't want any orphans escaping on us," Jack turned to the Smashers to, only to see several already entering the chamber. They sneaked in discretely, leaving Jack standing outside, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

"So is this your plan? You want to leave everyone behind after recruiting them, all because you don't have the guts to take out Milo?" the Smashers could hear Bryce challenge Lane. They could see Bryce brandishing a knife at his leader, but could easily turn around and use it on Milo, if necessary, "I'm willing to take him out myself, and now you're threatening me? You never appreciated my help all these years, have you?"

"You've become a traitor, and since you're putting all of us in danger, I'm willing to stop you myself. That way, I don't jeopardize our long-term success," Lane retorted. He had a small gun in his hands, which the Smashers guessed he must have gotten from his smuggling, "Milo will be taken care of later. If you don't stop, I'll shoot for sure."

Mario and Samus saw this argument as the perfect distraction for a surprise attack on them. Nodding to each other, they split into opposite side while signalling the rest of the group to wait. Mario positioned himself directly at the two while Samus prepared to dash in Milo's direction, all the while Lane could be heard declaring, "This is my group, and that's nobody here that can challenge my authority. You will obey or else!"

Just as this was uttered, the plumber burst from his position with a blast of flames from each hand. He pointed his right palm at Lane and his left at Bryce, blasting the fire in their faces as they were beaten back. Samus followed suit and ploughed towards Milo, flinging her beam out and attaching it to the youngster to pull him from harm's way. The rest of the Smashers then raced in, ready to back up their friends. In seconds, there was sheer pandemonium as the orphans fled in terror. The final battle was on!

* * *

And before I go, I just want to thank Bucky for giving me an idea on the final battle, where something unorthodox will end up saving one of the Smashers from certain death. For more clues, please read Bucky's fic "The Blue Earring," the original inspiration for this idea. Until then, one more chapter to go!


	10. The End of an Era

Thanks to **I.K.A. Valian** and **Poet Bucky** for being my reviewers. Originally, this will be the final chapter, but I felt it wasn't right to write this chapter this way and end the story in a different mood. So I've decided to split this into two: this will be the "unofficial" final chapter, and I'll end it off with an epilogue.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

Mario's fire blasts illuminated the dark cavernous area as he tried to hold back the two leaders. Samus, after taking a sack of flour to the face in her earlier attempt to use her grappling beam, was much more careful this time as she negotiated it around the plumber and latching it onto Milo. Reeling back like pulling in a big fish, the bounty hunter pulled the boy out of danger, rushing him from the fighting as children around them scrambled for cover. "You have to get everyone out of here," Samus instructed Milo, "the police are just outside and it's no longer safe to be around."

Milo nodded and rushed off, trying to get as many of the children's attention as they could. With the orphans rushing around like scared cattle, he realized it would take more than his voice to bring them to attention. "Kirby, Yoshi, Pikachu, give me some help," he called, "Use your suction, tongue and Thunder Wave to get them to stop running. Come with me," he waved to the three smaller Smashers.

As Kirby, Yoshi and Pikachu hurried off, Lane and Bryce untangled themselves from Mario's flames. Seething with anger, they prepared to attack the Smashers again, but not before giving each other a parting shot. "We could have succeeded in taking out our nemesis had it not been for you stopping me," Bryce snapped.

"I treated you like a prince, and all you can do is to betray me and not accomplish your mission. If you still want to prove your loyalty, then hold down these guys and get our recruits back," Lane retorted, checking his gun.

Bryce looked back as Link and Fox came up from the middle, each in a fighting stance as Mario and Samus flanked their right and left, respectively. Despite the fighting in the back, Bryce knew that there were still people loyal to him around, and if he could create enough of a distraction to the Smashers, they might just give him enough time to regain control. "Where's everybody? Where's my defence group?" he shouted. In total desperation, he tried grabbing anyone and everyone around him, hoping to build up enough of a crew to withstand the simultaneous attack of four Smashers.

But Bryce was the least of the Smashers' concern, as they saw their main target, Lane Jackson, rush off into the distance. They had all suspected that the so-called leader was nothing more than an opportunistic, manipulative coward, but it was with this event that Lane had finally showed his true colours. "Should we go after him ourselves or just let Jack and his team handle it?" Mario asked the three Smashers to his left.

"Let's keep an eye on him first, and we'll see what happens," Link replied, "Fox and I will take on Bryce, while you two go around him and into the back. Jack should be coming in any moment now, so let him take it from there."

Taking their chances, Link and Fox dashed forward and caught Bryce unprepared. He only managed to get two people to help him out, and with each Smasher taking on one, he would be vulnerable in an instant. Link, using his upper-body strength, nearly bowled over the urchin that tried to stand in his way, pushing him aside and subduing him in an instant. Meanwhile, Fox used his speed to avoid the urchin, then with his martial arts skills, flipped him around and put him on the ground. This gave Mario and Samus the time needed to pursue Lane, cutting in from the sides unguarded like the attacking midfielders on a World Cup soccer team.

In a move made out of damage-control, Bryce tried to trip up Mario, sprawling onto the ground and reaching for his legs. The plumber saw the stretching teen and tried dodging away, shifting his body diagonally and pulling his legs to the right. Despite going off-balance, Mario managed to negotiate around the diving Bryce and to the back, where Lane Jackson had already left via a back route. Bryce ended up being the third body to hit the ground, after Link and Fox successfully subdued their attackers. "Jack, give us backup in here," Link shouted.

Finally, the staff sergeant broke into the scene with two other officers from the sewers. "Other than the main entrance, there doesn't seem to be another way in," he explained, "but we'll take these two from here. What about Lane and Bryce?"

Just as his name was mentioned, the teen was on his feet again, glaring at the police and the Smashers. His team was falling apart right before his eyes, and anybody else left were either being taken out or chased down by Kirby, Yoshi, Pikachu and Milo. So, instead of fighting on, he turned around and fled, aiming for the same exit as Lane.

Link and Fox could only look on as they handed their suspects over to Jack. "I say we pursue," Fox suggested, "Link and I will go after Bryce. Mario and Samus are on Lane, so maybe you can help them."

Jack nodded. Giving out orders for more officers in the sewers, he had his two men take the urchins into custody. He glanced around once more, making sure the scene was clear. Milo and the two smaller Smashers had most of the urchins relatively under control, but there were still a few defiant ones either putting up a fight or being a handful. "Good luck, you guys," he murmured before following Link and Fox to the other side.

* * *

Lane Jackson burst out from the headquarters and in the sewers, a small flashlight guiding the way as his quick and long steps kicking up the water around his feet. Despite brandishing a firearm at the group earlier, he really didn't have too many bullets in his gun, and had little experience in using it. "Twelve shots, better make them count," he muttered to himself, realizing that the police might very well engage him in a gun fight.

As he turned the corner and crouched behind the wall, making sure all his bullets loaded properly into his carriage, he couldn't help but mull over what went wrong in his grand scheme. Seven years ago, he had escaped the orphanage and lived about a year on the streets, supporting himself with petty thefts and snatching food from nearby stores when the manager wasn't looking. It wasn't until he met Bryce, who was enduring a similar life at the orphanage that they decided to be partners, depending on each other for survival and looking out for each other whenever law enforcement came by. It was then that the two became bolder and decided to bring as many disgruntled orphans with them as possible, in an attempt to weaken the already unstable orphanage and drive Brendan's shop out of this business, and they would base their headquarters underground.

As he made sure everything was installed properly, Lane could hear footsteps coming from the headquarters. The Smashers must have caught on to him, and were on the chase. Cursing under his breath, the leader of the street gang glanced around, trying to find a best escape route. When they first went underground, he felt the group had the best chance to sustain their living quarters by making some quick money. And with the high number of youngsters and mobile people, local smuggling rings noticed and recruited their group as an accomplice, helping them transport the goods away from plain sight, and hiding the materials whenever police arrived. It was something that Lane relied on heavily to continue his battle against the orphanage and Brendan.

"I've called for a few officers to go into the headquarters already. They should be helping Milo, Kirby, Yoshi and Pikachu out in gathering the rest of the kids," Lane heard Jack's voice announce. Lane's blood boiled just listening to the police sergeant, as he happened to be the street gang's most feared nemesis for the past few years. Even before joining the police, Jack had been a close friend of Brendan's meaning he would help out the dinosaur as often as possible. After the gang formed, Jack's unit, when Jack was still an officer, was assigned to this case, and Jack had tailed them for years like a hawk. He was one of the fiercest officers when it came to youth crime, and his vast knowledge of child psychology also made him a potent weapon to pry away members. And now, after being promoted to staff sergeant, he was an even greater threat to the gang.

The footsteps and talking persisted, and Lane felt he had a better chance of escaping safely by using smaller, lesser-known passages. He scanned his surroundings and realized there was one such passage just down the path, and would keep him in plain sight for less than half a minute. Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a change and advance to the target. He paced himself quickly, but tried to be as gentle as possible, as not to arouse attention from Jack or the Smashers. He would be home free as soon as he got to the outside, as there would be nobody around to prevent him from blending in.

But luck would soon run out for Lane Jackson, as Mario and Samus appeared from the other side of the sewers, with the red-clad plumber holding out a small fireball as lighting. Upon seeing the young man down the passage, Mario turned around and hollered down his path, trying to get reinforcements to the scene as Samus charged forward with her grappling beam. Lane pivoted around and sprinted away from them, hoping to get to the exit before they caught up to him. Despite being armed, Lane knew he was no match for the Smashers, and he wasn't intent on finding out what techniques Samus would use to defeat him and hand him over to the police.

But Samus wasn't about to be denied either, as she whipped out her grappling beam and hooked onto whatever possible. The glowing rope-like object swung around near the ground, and wrapped itself onto Lane's lower legs like a vine on a large tree. Samus pulled with all her might, tripping the young man down and causing him to land face-first into the sewage water. The landing was so hard that the liquids were splashed all through the surrounding area, even onto Samus' light armour.

Lane struggled to pry free from the beam, but Samus held tight as she slowly advanced onto him. "Give it up, you've got no place to go," Samus taunted, "the police has the entire place surrounded, and we've got you outnumbered."

And the more Lane writhed, the more entangled he became. Samus was almost right beside him, towering over Lane in a pose of power and strength. Realizing the situation, Lane was forced to use his weapon. He whipped out a gun and cocked it at Samus, catching the bounty hunter off-guard. While Samus tried repositioning herself, Lane pumped a couple of bullets into her armour, denting the light material as he pushed her back, causing her to lose grip on the grappling beam and letting Lane loose. And as Samus looked up from the shots to her midsection, Lane elbowed her to the stomach, pushing her hard against the wall as he took off for the exit.

Just then, Mario and Jack arrived, seeing Samus slowly lift herself off the wall and analyze her damage. "I'm wearing the Zero Suit, which isn't suited for point-blank shots like this," Samus reported, clutching her gut in pain, "I'm probably bruised there. But stop worrying about me, and catch up to Lane first."

"My unit reported from above that he's most likely going to any minor passages," Jack explained, "Mario, take that area to our left and sweep across from the other passage while I take this area. Samus, if you can still take it, help Mario out."

Samus nodded, indicating she was not damaged enough to stop the chase. She didn't take a flour sack to the face and three shots to the gut to give up now, and quickly followed Mario into the parallel passage. "Jack told me Lane's gun is a lower calibre one and has only eight to twelve shots, so most likely he'll be out by the time he gets up. So all we need to do is stall for time and make him waste his shots," Mario reported.

As Mario and Samus discussed their course of action, Jack hustled down the dark passage and kept his eyes peeled for any movement. He could hear a clicking sound, like someone trying to crack a lock that would not budge. This could be the saving grace for his unit, as Lane might be desperate for an exit, but encountered a locked one. He whipped his body around the bend, only to see said young man pulling on a side door. "Game's over. Step away from the door," Jack called, shining his flashlight and pointing his gun at Lane, "seven years I've been tracking you, and today I'm finally done."

Lane glared at the staff sergeant, his eyes flashing in anger. Instead of leaving, he pulled out his own sidearm and fired at Jack, all the while keeping his hand on the door. The pulling action didn't complement his accuracy, as both shots missed Jack by a good metre or more. Jack merely ducked his head, regained his composure and pointed his weapon at the street gang leader, the one person he had been seeking for all these years. "You're running out of shots and time, so I suggest you give up," Jack warned again.

"I will never give in, not to someone like you," Lane roared. Pointing his gun downward, he shot at the water, creating another huge splash and engulfing Jack's pants with the sewage. As Jack tried to avoid the shots, Lane pulled up and fired another couple of shots, this time with much better accuracy. One shot hit Jack's flashlight, cracking the tube and plunging him into darkness. The other barely missed his ribs, but grazed the side, ripping Jack's uniform and caused a shallow but painful cut to his side.

Jack tried balancing himself against the wall, getting a better grip on his gun before turning out and fired three shots of his own to the side door. But surprisingly, Lane had already taken off, most likely to another exit down the passage. Cursing under his breath, he fought through the pain and continued the chase. There was already blood seeping through his uniform, but Jack persisted, radioing his officers for backup both above and underground. He never believed that catching Lane Jackson would be easy, but this time he felt Lane was giving him more than he could ever bargain for.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the headquarters, the three younger Smashers were having some difficulty getting to all the orphans. While Milo stood near the exit trying to block off the kids, Kirby, Yoshi and Pikachu could not catch up to all of them at once. There were so many and the place was so big that even with the suction, egg lay, and Thunder Wave abilities, they only managed to get a few at a time. Even as those officers escorted the two Bryce had when fighting Link and Fox, they could only muster three or four others to go with them. This was having its toll on the group. "How many more?" Kirby groaned.

"It would have been much easier had we been allowed to use powerful attacks like Thunder Bolt or Skull Bash to freeze and catch them," Pikachu complained.

Yoshi said nothing, but realized Pikachu had a point. What if they made the attacks not hurt them, like they did in the battle at Ashley's restaurant, but merely stalled them? "Guys, change of plans," he announced, "don't grab them, just disable them on the spot. Pikachu, see if your Thunder Shock can conduct through the metal pipes and spark anybody near there. Kirby, once they exit from the hiding areas and into the middle, use Final Cutter to take them down. Once they're on the ground, Milo and I will make sure they're immobile. I'll lick them up and Milo can role the eggs to the centre for the cops," Yoshi instructed, pointing at various directions.

The puffball and the electric rodent glanced over at their dinosaur friend. It was a risk they had to take, as the orphans could stay within the comforts of their hiding spots and outwait the police. Pikachu slowly marched to the side, grabbing onto the metal pipe closest to him. One look from his angle and he could see this was connected to the main system, meaning most of the area would be affected should he send in the shock. Should most of the orphans be hiding in the nooks and crannies within the water pipes, one shot should do the trick. He glanced over at Kirby readying his blade before the open area. There was complete silence as Yoshi brought Milo in, prepared to charge in for an egg-laying spree. The only sounds coming was the nervous breathing of each person, resembling the waves coming in from the bay. They wanted to end this once and for all.

Pikachu charged some electricity out of his small hands, the blue bolts covering the beam as he let it loose. The cracks and sizzles sailed through the pipes, heading straight into the darkest, deepest parts of the abyss. Cries of pain and stings could be heard as the attack emitted a strange glow to the area, showing the young Smashers how big and cavernous it really was. Orphans rushed out from the darkness and for the main exit, crying out in terror and fear as the electricity gave them minor burns and shocks. Milo felt even sorrier for them, as not only did they suffer long term abuse, but had to be freed only by a powerful fighter's electric shock. He could only help end their pain soon.

The Smashers were in unison with Milo, as they wanted to end it in as quick and painless a way as possible. Kirby leapt into the air with his blade, brandishing it forward and slamming it down. The Final Cutter sliced through the large central opening like a knife to a steak, splitting down the middle and knocking the orphans to the ground. The atrium resembled a coliseum, with the children in the centre as the defenceless people and Yoshi was the beast. "Come on, Milo," Yoshi called as he rushed to grab the kids.

Yoshi's tongue shot out in rapid bursts as he latched onto and pulled every orphan into his stomach. He went so fast that some had already gone into his mouth even before he could lay eggs. But knowing they must be taken in before they recovered, it didn't matter if Yoshi got a stomach-ache doing this; all they wanted was to get the orphans out safely police reinforcements. Yoshi took a quick glance back and saw Pikachu charge up again, targeting another part of the lair. Who knew how many more orphans were still hiding right now? And all the more we have to resort to this, Yoshi thought to himself.

Yoshi's tongue frenzy grinded to a halt as he swallowed the last orphan. He already had a series of eggs laid behind him, and Milo was having enough trouble rolling all of them to the doorway. Thankfully, the police reinforcements arrived just in time to help take over. "We'll take them up from here," one officer called.

Yoshi nodded in gratitude, plopping out a few more eggs for Milo to roll out. He winced in pain as his stomach could not handle all the orphans being swallowed that quickly. It might limit his egg-laying abilities for a while, as his stomach still churned from the processing. Behind him, Kirby and Pikachu marched forward, grabbing whatever orphans left in the back. "Take a breather, Yoshi. That was a great plan, and you did a good job," Kirby thanked his friend, patting the dinosaur on the shoulder.

"Oh, by the way, Link and Fox were going after Bryce earlier," Pikachu pointed out, "I'm not sure if they got to him yet. Jack's chasing Lane with Mario and Samus, so Link and Fox aren't getting any help. Should one of us go check on them?" he asked.

A few more eggs plopped out from Yoshi before he finally settled, rubbing his stomach in discomfort. "I'll go, since I'm probably of no use for the next few minutes," he offered, "Milo, can you handle dealing with the eggs for the police on your own?"

Milo was preoccupied as he had one hand on each egg, rolling them out to the passage for the police. As the men in uniform took over, the boy turned back and had an expression that was bound to be etched in everyone's memories. Giving thumbs-up and showing a wide grin, he declared, "Leave it to me, Yoshi. I promise you, I'll get it done!"

* * *

Link and Fox were truly kicking themselves now, as they never even bothered to go into the tunnels with adequate lighting. The only thing they had was a small, dimly lit flashlight from the orphanage that clicked off periodically. Adding this to the experience Bryce had in the sewers, and the two were in for a difficult task. "Something tells me we shouldn't have been so reckless," Fox murmured, slapping the light again to keep it on.

"What? Is this the famous Fox McCloud admitting that his usual tactic of 'shoot first, ask questions later' is wrong?" Link teased. They had no luck with Bryce for the last ten minutes or so, and did everything to lighten the mood to mask their frustration.

Just then, a figure blasted through the darkness and slammed Fox to the wall, crushing the vulpine and made him drop the flashlight. Link whipped around only to see two shadows struggling against one another. "Fox, hang on!" he cried, swiping the flashlight from the ground and giving chase. From the dim light, he could see Fox try to pull a reversal on Bryce, with limited success as the wet ground provided poor traction.

But the unsheathing of a metal blade got Link really worried, as Bryce held out his knife and pointed it at Fox. "Now, it ends here," he growled as he prepared to plunge it into the Cornerian's neck. Realizing he had only one chance to stop his best friend from being killed, Link barged into the fray and lifted his left hand just in time to grab Bryce's wrist, preventing the blade from severing important blood vessels in Fox's neck. Using the flashlight, Link rammed the back end into Bryce's other arm, slamming into the bone and forced him to loosen his grip. It was somewhat successful, as Bryce released Fox from the headlock, but now the two were engaged in a fierce battle of their own.

Fox shook his head a few times, trying to regain his vision after the attack. He turned to find Bryce, only to see Link in a struggle with him. The Hylian was basically fighting handicapped as his right hand still clutched the flashlight, while Bryce could use both hands on him. And indeed, the young man took advantage by turning and elbowing Link hard in the chest, forcing the Hylian backwards while pulling Link's arm hard, hyper-extending his triceps and pulling the knife loose.

Once freed, Bryce pinned Link to the wall and swung hard at him. The knife sliced across Link's belt buckle, and horizontally through his tunic and undershirt. The close call nearly spilled Link's intestines out of his belly. Realizing he needed both hands, Link had to ditch the light. "Fox, catch!" he yelled, flinging it sideways.

The Starfox Team's captain was caught off guard as his friend hurled the light at him. He fumbled it a couple of times, nearly dropping it to the ground before finally recovering it in his hands. He managed to shine it back onto the fighting pair, and a look of horror spread onto his face. Bryce had a hand on Link's throat, pinning him at the wall, while the other reeled back with the knife. "I can't take out your friend, so it'll have to be you," he snarled. Then, before Fox could holler, the knife plunged towards Link's gut.

The knife cut through the layers, but surprisingly it didn't go in. Bryce grunted loudly, but couldn't puncture Link's abdomen. It was like some magical barrier prevented a serious injury. Now with both hands free, Link squeezed Bryce's knife-wielding hand. Pushing it down, it sliced a vertical cut down to the bottom of his shirt. Bryce's head bobbed downward, and at level with Link's still heaving chest. Then, keeping his right hand still on the knife, Link clutched his left fist and swung it up with all his might.

The left uppercut connected with Bryce's chin, sending him flying and landing in the sewage water on his back. Link pushed off the wall and threw another jab at Bryce's forehead and knocking him unconscious. The Hylian made sure there were no more movements from him before turning him around, pulling Bryce's hands behind his back and tying them with his belt. He put the touches on like he was wrapping a present when Fox came up to him. "Are you alright? You nearly got ran through there," he pointed out.

Link stood up, his tunic and undershirt in a mess. Not only was there smudges and stains from the fight, but there were the two cuts going across the bottom. "I'll be fine," he assured the vulpine, slightly peeling back the ripped off area. The now loose fabric flapped opened, revealing some of his skin, "I'm not really stabbed, so it's all good."

Fox cocked an eyebrow as he bent down to grab Bryce, the spotlight still on Link's abdomen. What did his friend have under the tunic and undershirt, a suit of armour? "So unless you got a six-pack so tight that it could withstand knives, there's no way I could have seen what I thought just I saw. So what's the deal?" he demanded.

Link smiled, realized that he had to reveal it. He ripped off the rest of the broken section, making a rough arch onto his tunic and undershirt and showed the bottom half of his midsection. The six-pack abs was still present, but new was a strange object hanging from his belly button, creating a vertical metallic glow across the usually dark, shadowy depression on his gut. "I actually got it on the day we celebrated with Brendan, just before the lion dance," he explained sheepishly, "I told everyone that I got my earrings from defeating Dark Link; Impa said something about showing maturity in the battle. Knowing that Sheikah male did this, I thought I'd go further after defeating Ganon and this was the result. I wanted to surprise everyone, but Bryce just spoiled it."

Fox's eyebrows went so high that they nearly sailed away from his head. There was a small chain pierced through the upper rim of his belly button, ending near the bottom rim where a small Triforce pendent dangled before it. "So the knife went through the Triforce, but lodged itself in the opening between the three triangles. He can't push in or pull out, and you ended up beating him? That's the craziest win I've ever heard!" he exclaimed, "But just wondering: why would you, a heterosexual male with a princess girlfriend, want to get a piercing there? Whose idea was it?" he asked.

"Actually, piercings are pretty common among all races in Hyrule, so getting this isn't seen as a sign for homosexuality. As for why my belly button," Link pointed at his ears, "Impa left no vacancy for me up here. Get the drift?"

"Link, Fox, is everything alright in there?" a voice shouted. Fox whipped the light to the sound's direction and saw a familiar dinosaur dashing at them. "Milo, Kirby and Pikachu had everything settled at the headquarters. How about you guys?"

As if on cue, Bryce began to stir, making Link and Fox curse under their breaths. Seeing Yoshi approach, Fox had an idea. "Yoshi, can you please encase Bryce in an egg while we look for an exit? We don't want him to escape on us," he requested.

Yoshi's look of worry changed into exasperation, as there was no way he wanted to go through what happened back at the headquarters. Surely they realized even a big eater like him had stomach-aches, right? "Can I not do it, please?" he whined.

* * *

Mario and Samus definitely had a rough going, as they could hear the gunshots from the passageway parallel from them, but could find no access over there. Adding to this was the bruises Samus suffered from the bullets hitting her Zero Suit, slowing the bounty hunter's pace. With every slow step, they were letting Lane slip away from them. "Should we get you up the street level and let you get some help first?" Mario asked.

Samus still had a hand on her stomach, her fingers brushing over the bullet lodged into the suit. Although she wasn't punctured, nor was she bleeding internally, the impact created some bruises, and any pull or contraction of her midsection created a shot of pain throughout her body. "I'll be fine, just find Lane and Jack first," she replied.

Mario was about to refuse, insisting that he looked after her when another few rounds were fired, this time louder than ever. "You hear that?" the plumber asked excitedly, "They must be nearby, and that means there must be a way to get to them." He dashed forward, waving his hand with the fireball around and desperately searched for a passage. From her position further back, Samus looked on in curiosity.

"Samus, over here, I found it," he exclaimed, jumping up and down from a ways down. Samus hobbled over to him, and indeed there was an opening connecting them to the other side. The dark tunnel seemed as endless as the one they had been in for the past little while, but at least they had a chance to meet up with Jack, and maybe ever corner Lane as well. Smiling, she made the usually simple turn and eased her way towards him.

Just as she inched closer, a shadow came bursting in from the darkness. The silhouette found its way into the light, and an all-too-familiar face showed itself. "Mario, look out behind you!" Samus hollered, pointing over Mario's shoulder. The plumber turned just in time to see Lane Jackson shove a fist into his face, knocking him straight out of the way. Samus tried to do everything she could to stop the running man, but Lane easily sidestepped the already somewhat disabled blonde. Samus could only look on in despair as he took off through the tunnel, with Mario still rubbing his nose in pain.

But in hot pursuit of the street gang leader was certainly a sight for their sore eyes as Sergeant Jack Riley also came about. He slowed down just in time to help balance Mario and Samus, making sure they were alright before proceeding. Mario and Samus could see that Jack himself had been hit, with blood soaking the section of his uniform bordering his left ribcage. But Jack was not about to be deterred. "He's trying to find a way up. We must stop him before he intermingles in the crowds."

As they brushed each other off, sounds of Lane climbing a ladder could be heard not far away. Jack whipped out his gun and proceeded carefully, signalling Mario and Samus to follow. The police sergeant got to the source of the sound and saw the young man trying to push the manhole aside. "Lane Jackson, you're under arrest. Step away from there, drop your weapon and come down with your hands up!" Jack declared.

Lane only responded with two shots on the crowd, not even bothering to aim as he struggled to push the manhole. He finally had some progress on the heavy piece of metal when Mario dashed forward and launched another fire blast at him. The flame scorched Lane so closely that he could only shield his face from being burned, all the while firing another blind shot at the group in defence. It was a wise move for them, as the plumber realized that Lane was running out of bullets. Just as Lane managed to get some light from the outside in, Mario launched another shot, scorching the young man once more.

That gave Jack just enough time to scale the ladder. He managed to get a hand on Lane just as the manhole was wide enough for them to run out. Lane kicked and flailed, trying to shake loose. The yanking inadvertently pulled Jack's side muscles, causing tremendous pain to his already bleeding side, but Jack ignored the pain and held strong. It would be either they returned to battle in the sewers, or both took it outside. Lane pulled Jack up the ladder and into the sun, where the sudden glare blinded them like a spotlight. The two pushed and shoved like two gophers fighting to be the first to exit the hole. Seizing his chance, Lane aimed another shot at Jack, trying to shoot him down as he dashed off. He got off the off-balance shot, shooting right at the manhole as he ran away.

But Jack was off-balance as well, as he teetered on the top step unevenly after being rudely pulled up. Thanks to his swaying legs, the shot barely missed his head as he tripped down the ladder, holding on with one hand as he tried to regain balance. Again, more pain as his rib muscles were stretched to the limit, causing the cut from the near-miss shot earlier to widen even more, and more red liquid dripped out from the uniform.

Seeing the danger, Mario decided to take action. Years of working in the sewers made him a natural for this as he manoeuvred around Jack. He pulled out his cape and wrapped it around Jack's midsection, making sure the staff sergeant had something to hold him there. Then, with all the strength he could muster, Mario yanked Jack back onto the ladder, just as the pain became too much for him to handle. "Are you alright?" he asked once Jack returned to grab the ladder.

Jack nodded, gingerly placing his hand on the bars as he regained his breathe. Samus now pulled herself onto the metal as the two Smashers prepared to give chase. Seeing his group still intact, the moustachioed plumber quickly scaled the rest of the ladder, leaping from the manhole like water from a geyser and sent a third fire shot at the fleeing Lane Jackson, with some embers landing on his back and slowing him down.

Lane turned around, his eyes flashing in anger as Mario now stood on the other side of the street, staring the gang leader down. Lane whipped out his gun again and prepared to pepper the plumber. He squeezed the trigger hard, but all that was heard was a strange pop. Lane looked perplexed while Mario smiled, his plan worked to perfection. "I succeeded in doing what I wanted: making you waste your bullets," Mario taunted, "you're harmless and have no place to go. Now do you surrender?"

Lane gritted his teeth angrily. Maybe there was still a way out, since the Smashers were still dispersed at the moment. He stuffed his gun onto his waistband and turned to flee, hoping to stall for time. Mario was prepared to follow when Jack sprinted past him. Mario guessed that the staff sergeant either recovered from the stretched arm, or held the pain in well. Drawing his gun, he called to Mario, "Take care of Samus, she's a bit slow."

"Jack, wait!" Mario shouted. But it was no use, as Jack was already on the trail. Sighing, he lifted Samus from the manhole, worried about the outcome. "Jack doesn't know Lane's out of shots," he informed Samus, "I don't know what they might get into."

* * *

And indeed, Mario's fear was about to come to fruition, as Lane Jackson raced across the block, getting back to the original manhole where Bryce entered with Milo earlier. Police had begun to gather around the area, as they probably radioed each other on the progress made down below. Knowing Jack would be closing in, Lane tried to sneak off to the side, but without much luck as he was spotted immediately. "Freeze," one officer yelled, "you're surrounded. Drop your weapon and put your hands up!"

Lane turned to see at least three officers with their firearms pointed at him. Jack must have done a great job to inform his unit, as Lane was a marked man in this standoff. But knowing his feisty nature, Lane was not about to go down without a fight. He could still reach another state, or even Mexico if given enough time to stall the police. Glancing sideways, he could see Brendan and Ashley helping some orphans out of the sewers, and an evil idea popped into his mind. He slowly sidestepped towards the dinosaurs couple while the police circled him like a pride of lions stalking a wounded animal.

Then, in one swift motion, he charged towards Brendan and put his neck in a headlock, while jabbing the gun at Brendan's face. "Back off, or I'll blow his brains out! Stand back, all of you!" Lane shouted, waving his gun in every direction. The orphans screamed in terror as Ashley tried to keep order, all the while keeping a worried eye on her husband, who was pretty much immobile thanks to the tight hold.

Luckily, a police negotiator was in the crowd, and tried coaxing Lane Jackson to release his hostage. But the street gang leader was not about to be denied. "If you won't let me have my world of kids here, then at least let me do it somewhere else. I'll only release this hostage if you let me off the hook," he bargained, keeping a tight grip on.

Just then, Jack rushed into the scene, standing behind a crowd of officers as he saw his best friend being taken hostage. He could hear the negotiator bargain with Lane, but his concentration was solely on Brendan, so much so that everything sounded like mumbles. Figuring he needed a way to stop Lane, he shifted his position and pulled to the side, where he could see the sides of Brendan and Lane's heads. Suddenly, an idea came to him. What if he took a shot at Lane right here, with everyone still distracted?

But he was forced to act quickly, as Lane suddenly became angry and violent. "He's been causing me all that pain, justifying the orphanage's existence, and having his police friend chase after me all these years. I might as well kill Brendan now!" he roared, jabbing the barrel into Brendan's temple. Ashley gasped in horror and pleaded with Lane, while the negotiator desperately tried to keep calm. But nothing seemed to work as Lane cocked the gun once more. "Say goodbye to the world, Brendan," he snarled.

Jack was left with no choice. Given that a civilian was about to be killed, he had to take action. Everything slowed down as the staff sergeant pushed his way to the front, his gun drawn and aimed right at Lane Jackson, just as Mario and Samus rushed in from the back, with Mario shouting, "No, don't shoot, he has no bullets left!"

But it was too late, as the finger had pressed the trigger. As if in slow motion, the bullet zinged out of Jack's gun, sizzled through the air and implanted into the side of Lane's head. The other Smashers, along with Milo and the now apprehended Bryce, slowly made their way out of various manholes and approached the confrontation scene. They could all only stare in shock as Jack lowered his gun, the bang still ringing through the block as the shot connected. And before everyone's eyes, the street gang leader in charge of a smuggling and orphan abducting scheme slowly relaxed his stance, releasing his grip on Brendan, and hit the stone-cold floor, stone-cold dead.

* * *

The epilogue is quite short and will be up in a few days (a week at the latest). The idea about Link's belly button was from Bucky's fic "The Blue Earring" and the actual "life-saving" thing was from Rush Hour 2 in a fight scene with Chris Tucker, whose heavy money-filled wallet prevented a sword from running him through. I just modified it to make it fit in this story. I told Bucky that after reading this scene, the readers will gain a brand new appreciation for belly buttons. Let's see if that worked.


	11. Epilogue: Dawn of a New Age

This is the true end to the story, as we have the epilogue. I just want to say that for a different style of story, I found it extremely fun to write, and I've added a little bonus scene for you guys, with a surprise at the end (Poet Bucky, pay attention!).

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

* * *

"It was his choice, he chose this route." This line was branded into the brains of each Smasher, Milo, Brendan and Ashley. Jack uttered that phrase as Lane Jackson hit the ground for the last time. Now, as the paramedics treated each person's injuries, including those of Samus and Jack, the Smashers could only mull over the meaning of those words, and what it would have been like had they reached him in time.

Mario was especially struck by the entire situation. He had rushed as quickly as he could, with the still-hurting Samus, to the alley to inform Jack of the situation. True, no one knew that Lane was out of bullets; in fact, the police had been trained to shoot to kill in hostage situations, so he couldn't possibly fault Jack for his actions. But in the process, a life was taken, one they could have saved. The thought cycled in his head as he glanced down at Kirby and Pikachu, watching the orphans being treated for injuries and loaded into the police cruisers while taking sneak peeks at the coroner dealing with Lane's body.

Meanwhile, Yoshi stood aside from the group, talking quietly to Milo while his uncle and aunt listened on. "Looks like this is goodbye," the dinosaur stated, "They might be discharging my dad soon, since his eyesight made miraculous progress. I'll have to take care of him at home while he recovers completely. You'll have to be brave, okay?"

Milo sniffled, holding back his tears as hard as he could. "I'll work hard, and I'll make it happen," he replied firmly, despite his voice quivering, "I won't let that incident stop me from helping them out. They will get a chance to be normal again, I promise."

"That's all everyone can ask for, Milo: that you do your best," Yoshi replied, choking up in tears as well. The two pulled together for another embrace, one that both sides believed would be their last. They wanted to cherish this friendship as much as they could, as neither side ever have a friend quite like the other before.

Seeing Milo depart, Brendan and Ashley tried to cheer up their nephew. "Let's join the rest of them, shall we?" Ashley suggested, "We've all had a hard day, and it's not going to get better with everyone shaken and sulking like that."

"I was nearly shot to death, and it resulted in a bullet whizzing awfully close to me, courtesy of my best friend. You think I'm not traumatized?" Brendan added, "But we can't think about should-haves, we have to move forward. I can't take back the wrongs that I was indirectly involved in that caused Lane Jackson to make this choice, but all I can do is to be more diligent to ensure that this won't happen again."

Yoshi tried to smile, but with great difficulty as he could not let go of this very special boy. He inspired Milo so much, and in turn Milo had inspired so many people, so it did not feel right that they had no more to offer Milo. The thought churned in his mind as Ashley gathered all the other Smashers and offered to serve them dinner at her restaurant tonight, as a way of easing their minds from this issue.

The thoughts of a gathering by the Smashers just before they left San Francisco resonated with the group, as they all welcomed the idea. Mario and Kirby, two naturally big eaters, slowly turned their attention away from the alley and towards Ashley, while Pikachu had waved Samus and Jack over from the paramedics to join them. But perhaps the comment that made the mood relax the most was from Fox McCloud, who merely pointed at Link broken shirt and said, "You're not wearing that tonight, right? I know what that thing means to you, but you look just ridiculous right now."

Link chuckled, rubbing a finger along the side of his belly button, in parallel to the object dangling from the round depression. "I never really thought that something as innocent as my belly button would be my saving grace. I got plenty of stories to tell to the new Smashers when they come in," he replied.

The crowd chuckled as they headed off for the night. Brendan, Ashley and Yoshi led the way as the Smashers followed them down the street and towards the restaurant. Samus brought up the rear, with Pikachu looking out for her after the paramedics taped up her stomach. Jack, who had his side bandaged, wanted to return to the station to file a report first, but would be joining them later on. It was truly the first time in a week that everyone finally got a chance to celebrate their efforts and accomplishments.

* * *

"And here it is!" Brendan announced in a flourish as he pulled the tarp away from his store's roof. It was the last night the Smashers were staying in San Francisco, and they wanted to be present for the new sign to be finally unveiled. The words "Yoshi Store" was carved into the wooden board. There were tropical trees on either side of the sign, homage to the climate and vegetation of the island, and all sorts of fruits and berries on top. It was truly the rejuvenation of the business that Brendan held so dear to him.

"So you finally got to do it," Mario smiled as he shook Brendan's hand, "after all the incidents behind the celebration, the orphans, and a shoot-out, you finally revealed your sign on the tenth-year anniversary. Congratulations!"

Brendan shook everyone's hands, including his best friend Jack's, as he brought them into the store. "So looks like we won't see each other for a while. You've been called back, there'll be new Smashers joining you, and my brother's going home to rest?"

The Smashers nodded. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow to prepare for the new Smashers," Kirby explained, "Yoshi will join us later after he picks up his father from the hospital."

"What about Milo?" Yoshi asked, "What have you and Aunt Ashley decided on doing for him at the orphanage? Will it help him reform all the orphans?"

"The explosion interrupted our original goal of donating to the orphanage, but it doesn't mean we won't redo it. In fact, thanks to this event and meeting Milo, Ashley and I have decided to double our donation," Brendan replied, "knowing the new direction the orphanage is willing to take today, I'm confident they can get it done."

That drew a round of applause from the Smashers, who were very impressed by the efforts of Brendan and Ashley. "It's good someone here will still show compassion after what the neighbourhood went through," Fox stated, "but what about Bryce? Since he's pretty much a ringleader, would he be returning to the orphanage soon?"

"Unfortunately, the police has enough evidence to pinpoint that Bryce not only carried out Lane Jackson's plans, he also planned and proceeded with several illegal activities on his own, meaning charges will be filed," Jack described, "I can only hope that we can rehabilitate him rather than put him in the slammer, but again, it's a choice he made to stick around Lane for that long. I just hope he has enough time to reflect on it."

The Smashers were silent, mulling over the consequences that Bryce and the other orphans must live through. The only thing they could hope for was that they could rejoin society by reintegrating themselves, or be adopted by a caring family. "Especially Milo, he's really matured since he met Yoshi," Pikachu murmured, "and his determination on fulfilling Yoshi's promise really makes him special. I can only hope that he gets every chance possible to meet his potential and become the gifted person he's meant to be."

Brendan and Ashley glanced at each other with a strange expression, like they were hiding something. "I think we could make that happen," Ashley said sheepishly, "like you all said: he is an orphan, meaning a caring family could adopt him. Who knows what will happen then? But it's getting late now, so I think you should be heading back and getting a good night's rest. You have a long way to go back tomorrow."

The Smashers returned to their hotel, ending the light evening by resting and talked casually with one another. Mario was on the phone for a majority of the time, calling to Smash Mansion to get more details, while Fox, Kirby and Pikachu were in the lobby, going through this last adventure. The only two Smashers not socializing were Samus and Link, who were in their respective rooms. "I'm going to ice my stomach a bit more," Samus told everyone, "I just hope this won't affect my fighting abilities."

And in Link's room, the Hylian had already stripped down to his usual sleepwear, his white boxer briefs. He laid flat on his back, lifting his head slightly off the bed while wetting a Q-tip. He pealed the Triforce pendent back to expose his belly button. "I'm taking good care of this from now on, after how it saved me," he muttered. With that, he dipped the Q-tip into the deep, bowl-shaped depression and began swabbing it clean.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Yoshi asked as he escorted his father out of the hospital. It was the first time in almost a week that Yoshi Sr. could finally be free from the tubes and wires monitoring his body, and the departure from hospital food was only an added bonus. Brendan, Ashley and Yoshi held onto their relative while he gingerly stepped forward, still feeling his way around thanks to his still unclear eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Yoshi," Yoshi Sr. told his son, "your mother will take care of me while my eyesight continues recovering. You can join your Smasher friends and have a great time." Turning to his brother, he asked, "What about that Milo boy? Whatever happened to him? Is he staying at the orphanage for now?"

"Well, to an extent, yes," Brendan replied, "he is an orphan, meaning the state does have custody of him until someone offers to adopt him. But I'm sure that won't be long, since he's such a special child." Taking advantage of his brother's blindness, he gave his wife and nephew a distinctive wink as he finished that remark.

Yoshi Sr. turned his head to the distance, the blurry skies and streets melding together as he reminisced the first and so-far only time he had spoken with Milo:

_Yoshi stepped out of the room with Pikachu while Kirby looked on, waiting for Milo to finish with Yoshi Sr. But the boy didn't seem comfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and glancing around the room nervously. It made the puffball truly wonder what was going through Milo's mind. He was about to say something when Milo beat him to the punch. "Kirby, can you wait outside for a minute? It'll be very quick."_

_Kirby had a confused expression on his face, but he obeyed nonetheless. As the short, round Smasher stepped out, Milo turned back to Yoshi Sr. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for everything that's happened. I'm sorry I caused all that trouble at the celebration, stole the money, made Link send the bomb, and caused you to be in this state. I know no amount of apologizing will make your eyesight return faster, but…"_

_Yoshi Sr. raised a hand, silencing the boy. Milo looked on anxiously as the large dinosaur spoke. "You know, no amount of evidence can justify you being forced to attack my family like this. But to an extent, your appearance to us is a sobering reminder that we shouldn't be too quick to put ourselves on a pedestal. My brother and I were too proud of our achievements to evaluate our efforts. And it took an explosive at the celebration to show us what we've done still isn't enough."_

_Milo shook his head vehemently. "No, it's never meant to be like that! I never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone send bombs! You got to believe me, honest!"_

_"I believe you Milo, and the last thing I'd do is blame you," Yoshi Sr. replied, "I know Yoshi brought you here to seek reconciliation, and I also expected that you would seek forgiveness from me. I will accept your apology, but my family and I want to move forward with you. They always say the best way to reconcile with others is to reconcile with oneself first, and I've definitely gotten a chance to look inside myself. I definitely resolve to make some changes, and I can truly say: sometimes it takes blindness for one to truly see. I hope you can take this lesson with you, and always look inside yourself when you want guidance. Just the fact that you're here and apologizing shows me you have the strength to be someone special."_

_A smile crept across Milo's face, the boy truly relieved that he exorcised this final demon inside him. "I will," he promised, "I won't let anyone of you down, I swear."_

_Just then, Kirby called in from the hallway, prompting Milo to shoot up from his chair and hurry to the door. From the bed, Yoshi Sr. thanked the boy and assured him he would be fine. "Tell Yoshi not to worry about me, alright?" he said._

Yoshi guided his father, still deep in his thoughts, away from the hospital and prepared to return him to Yoshi's Island. But while they moved ahead, Brendan and Ashley lingered around, with Ashley pulling out a beige folder. She showed her husband the contents as they checked over everything. "I'll just drop this off after they get back," Ashley stated, "by the way, don't tell Yoshi or your brother yet. Let's keep it a surprise."

Brendan grinned from ear to ear as he read over the pages. Everything was signed and filled in properly, and they didn't leave any important information out. Brendan looked at the front page one last time before closing the file and handing it back to his wife. The title page stated: "Application for Adoption," and on the top right-hand corner was the picture of the child they targeted. It was boy with dirty-blond hair, round eyes, and a cheerful smile. Underneath it, there were two special words: Milo Sullivan.

* * *

You know, I didn't intend this to be a preachy fable with morals, but I guess that inadvertently became part of the story. So here's what I came up with:

1.) Don't be too quick to let others put you on a pedestal, as you may never know what unintended side-effects your positive intentions may have (Brendan, Ashley, Yoshi Sr.).  
2.) If possible, don't be too quick to judge others and give them a second chance, as it may make them better people later on (Yoshi and the Smashers).  
3.) To truly seek forgiveness and reconciliation, one must look inside oneself and make changes within before approaching others (Milo).  
4.) All our choices have consequences, and one must think carefully before committing to a route (Bryce and the orphans).

And just for fun:  
5.) You never know when something like a belly button comes out and saves you, take good care of your belly button (Link)!

And that's a wrap, folks! I'm going to return to "Tales of Symphonia" and work on a couple of stories there. If you're joining me, then I'll see you there. If not, then I still hope you stick around. This is Canada Cowboy, signing off! Thanks for reading!


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